King of Conquerors: The Rise of a King
by Xian-Kar
Summary: Two years after the 4th Grail War, Waver Velvet makes a discovery that can change the course of history. His reunion with Rider doesn't go as expected. Instead of the King of Conquerors Heroic Spirit, he meets with an inexperienced young prince Alexander. Ancient Greece AU side story, before Lord El-Melloi II events - "Interactive story": you choose the ending!-
1. the summoning

**Prologue: The Summoning**

The clock struck twelve and the tower vibrated to the sound of the bells. The hallway slowly became crowded with students' voices, echoing down the stairway. It was lunch time at the Clock Tower.

In the west wing, a young lecturer was finishing his class.

"If you have any questions you are welcome to discuss them with me after lunch. I will be available at the library between two and three this afternoon".

He erased the board leaving it ready for the next class. The words "_History of Magic_" faded one by one, as the first-year students closed their books and put away their notes. All except for one.

"Mr. Velvet", a young girl raised her hand.

"I've told you before, just call me Waver. I'm only a tutor and I'm almost your same age."

Waver Velvet put his books back in his bag and walked towards the door. The girl rushed to chase him, dropping some papers on her way, and quickly picking them up with clumsiness. Waver helped her.

"Excuse me, mist-, I mean, Waver?", she asked, collecting her notes from the floor. "I was just wondering if you needed some help with the experiment you are working on"

"I am OK for now, thank you. I will let you know if I need any help. I'll come to you first", he said as he helped her up.

He walked out of the classroom, followed by the girl.

"Umm…I am just curious. There are rumors. Rumors about you working with some sort of…dark magic."

Some eyes turned to them as she said these words. Waver did not seem surprised.

"But…of course I don't believe those rumors! Not from you! I mean, you are such an example for people like me."

Waver sighed.

"Then why are you asking me these questions?"

"I-I didn't mean to! I'm sorry. I will never doubt you! I believe in you."

_It's not like I care if she does_, Waver thought

One of the girls overhearing their conversation in the hallway approached him.

"Hey Velvet", she stood in front of him, blocking his way, arms crossed against her chest. "I've heard you are falling behind in your thesis. You better work on it, or our reputation as Student Council members will be affected negatively."

"_Yes, president_, whatever you say", he said ironically, taking out a cigarette from his pocket. With a simple spell he made a small flame to light it.

"And what's with this new habit of yours? Smoking is bad for your health, you know? Also, don't you think you need a hair cut?" She grabbed a lock of his thick, black hair and pulled it up, then slowly let it slip through her fingers until it fell again over Waver's shoulders. "What's gotten into you lately?"

Waver took a big puff from his cigarette.

"I don't know what it is about these things," he examined his cigarette, "but it helps me reduce the anxiety through the long nights of study. And my hair is perfectly fine, I like it this way better. I'm planning on growing it longer, actually." A massive cloud of smoke came out of his mouth as he spoke.

"Jeez…at least do it outside of the tower. You are supposed to set the example." The girl fanned away the smoke with her hand. Then took the cigarette away from him and put it out.

"I don't what you are trying to prove, Velvet, but I don't like this. I never particularly liked you before, but now I certainly don't. You may be popular among the first-year students, and you may be most professors' favorite, but I will never approve of you. Or any of…", she paused to scan Waver's pupil from her feet to her head before she continued. "…your kind."

She gave Waver one last look of disapproval, turned around and walked away from them.

"What does she mean?" Asked the girl.

"She comes from a well-known family of mages, so she naturally thinks of all other mages as mediocre, and therefore, unworthy of the Mage's Association"

"That is just stupid. I can't believe nowadays there's people who still think like that. She is not even top of her class. If family names mattered, then she would be a top student. That is just plain nonsense," she stomped her feet with anger, "if it wasn't for you and your initiative on the reform of the Mage's Association's policies, people like me would have never made it here."

"She is just childish. She is the stereotype of the rich girl, powerful family, unhappy life, parent issues, or whatever it is that makes her life miserable. You know how it goes."

Emily chuckled at his comment

"But she is actually not a bad person," Waver continued. "So, please don't mind her. Now back to a more important matter… I'm heading to the cafeteria to get some food. You are welcome to join me if you want"

"Absolutely!"

The afternoon ran smoothly. Waver left the tower at 5, with the intention of working on his thesis. He hated to admit it, but the President of the council was right. He couldn't put it off anymore, he needed to show results in order to graduate, and he was running out of time. He was thinking about this on his way home, when he heard an unusual sound. The sound of horseshoes hitting the pavement with fury, running faster and faster towards him.

_A horse in the downtown of London? Could it be…?_

He turned, and his eyes were filled with disappointment right away. A carriage passed by, carrying a couple of newly weds. They waved at him. He waved back. He sighed and continued walking.

By the time Waver got home it was dark already. He turned the lights on. His apartment was clean and tidy. And dull and empty and lonely, as usual.

Two years had passed since the fourth Holy Grail war. Although he was used to being by himself, he oddly enjoyed living with the old married couple who took him in as their grandson back in Japan. To think that he used to be annoyed by all that noise and distractions at the beginning, and now there he was, missing them.

"I should write to them_,"_ he thought out loud, placing his bag on the table and checking the mail, which was all bills, "It's been almost a month since I last did."

He went to his room. Everything was in the exact same spot as he left it that morning. He undressed and decided to leave his clothes wherever they landed on the floor. When he was removing his pants, they got stuck in the edge of the bed. He kept pulling them, harder and harder until they ripped, making him fall on his back with the same strength he was pulling. He hit the wardrobe, it wobbled and fell. He had to roll to the side to dodge it. The wardrobe's doors opened wide against the floor, and the clothes spread all around the floor.

"For fuck's sake!" Waver yelled as he hit the floor with his fist, then immediately regretted that.

"Ouch!" he complained, rolling over and rubbing his sore hand. He finally got up, and stared at the mess for a few minutes before he made up his mind to clean it up.

One by one he picked the clothes and folded them, separating them in piles. Sweaters, pants, shirts and finally T-shirts.

"This is…"

He held a white T-shirt with a brownish world map design, and the Japanese characters for _"admirable"_ on it. Waver's eyes became watery.

"That idiot…why did he even leave this with my stuff", he said as he threw it on his bed. He sat there and stared at it. After hesitating for a brief moment, he put the T-shirt on.

He looked into the mirror and checked himself out from different angles. Surprisingly, it was not as loose as he thought it would be. In fact, he almost liked how he looked in it. He made a fist to pop out his biceps, but his arm barely grew a few millimeters. He suddenly remembered how that T-shirt stretched over its original owner's thick muscles, and he felt stupid. He took it off and left it on the floor under his bed.

"Whatever…" he said to himself, and left the room to take a shower.

It was nearly midnight. Countless books, research notes, and a cup of coffee sitting on Waver's desk for hours. A cigarette was left to consume itself next to the other cigarette butts in the ashtray, while Waver rested his forehead on the desk. Unable to think, unable to sleep. His back was sore from sitting in the same position. He only moved when his alarm went off. He looked for it in between his papers. Gems and other artifacts fell from the desk as he did, leaving a mess on the floor.

_11.45 already! _

He set off the alarm.

_Oh no, I'm supposed to crack this out before 2 am when my powers are stronger. _He thought, staring at his clock with concern.

He opened his laptop, and a document popped up with the title _"Theories of modern magic: time magic and it's uses"_

He held his head between his hands and thought: _this is worth nothing if I don't have empiric evidence! I need proof. I need to finish this experiment..._

He gave himself a little slap on his cheeks, determined to carry on with his work. He looked through his books and read the tittles and introductions:

"_Time Traveling: a true story"_

"_Hidden Mysteries: The Science Behind"_

"_The Enigma of Time"_

Waver put the books away, disappointed.

_All of this crap is just mystical, unproved bullshit! None of this is serious._ He thought.

The next title was _"Magic and War"._ He checked the index and stopped his finger at "_Time magic"._ He read the introduction, and the basic spells for altering time. It somehow seemed familiar to him, and he realized this was the kind of magic Emiya Kiritsugu used during the Grail War.

He finished the chapter and closed the book, frowning at its cover.

_This is some dangerous business_, the thought,_ I don't want to make a war weapon. I must be careful, I don't want this to end up in the wrong hands._

He moved to the next one.

"_Crafting Magical Artifacts: A Guide to Magecraft"_

He made some progress with this one. Although nothing new, it was practical for his experiment. He gathered some materials and organized them. Then took another look at the clock. It was already 12:45. He decided to take a 5 minutes break for coffee.

He grabbed his cup from the desk and dropped a book. It landed opened facing up on the floor.

"_Alchemy of Time", _he read the title of the chapter.

He put his cup down and picked up the book. It called his attention that it was written in ancient Greek -he felt particularly confident and proud about his ancient Greek after two years of studying thoroughly, and was always looking for an opportunity to give it some use-

He sat on the floor and read the introduction of the book. There was a note from the translator

"_This manuscript is one of the oldest written records of alchemy, originally written in Farsi in 290 BC, and translated into Greek. It has been brought into the western cultures during the times of Alexander the Great."_

Than name echoed in Waver's head. It was still hard to believe he got to know such a historical and famous figure. He could not believe it himself sometimes. He had read hundreds of books about Alexander the Great, yet he still felt like the person from the books was someone else.

He turned a couple of pages and observed the images. Symbols of eyes everywhere. The transmutation circles present throughout the book.

"_The all-seeing-eye, the eye of Buddha, the 108 Snail Martyrs, Hamsa, The eye of Fatimah, The hand of Miriam, The eye of Horus"_

He read out loud as he turned the pages and wondered how so many cultures from different eras and places could share the same symbols. Then something occurred to him.

_Wait, how could they possibly know all of this back then?_

He turned to the next page and observed in astonishment the image of what seemed like a priest in a black, hooded cloak, holding some sort of relic with the shape of an hourglass, and an eye in the middle. On his left side, a landscape with creatures and plants of Jurassic scale. On his right, a scenery where infinite buildings raised resembling the ones of modern cities.

"This can't be. It's impossible!", he said as he went back to the beginning check the date of the book. The "290 BC" was still there.

_This is wrong. The date is wrong. This must be a joke_

He left the book on the desk and went on his computer. He googled the title, and compared multiple results, all of them matching:

"…_Most copies where lost after the destruction of the Library of Alexandria. There are currently two known copies left of this manuscript. The original, which remains under the protection of the Estate of Iran, and a Greek translation, which is said to be hidden somewhere in the British Museum."_

Everything pointed to the same thing: he was in possession of this ancient lost manuscript, which was hiding in the library of the Clock Tower in London this hole time.

Once he realized this, he freaked out and closed his computer abruptly. He remained seated there staring at the book for a few minutes, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. He tried to remember where he found the book, and wondered why nobody had reviewed such an important thing before. He recalled the "mystical" section, the most unpopular between young mages nowadays. Nobody would have taken the book seriously.

He hesitated for another moment. He had no evidence for his hypothesis. He wanted to create an artifact to prove that time could be altered with magic. He was running out of time, and this might have been his only shot.

He took a deep breath, opened the book, and begun to gather the materials for the experiment.

_It's now or never,_ he thought as he drew a circle on the floor, followed by multiple symbols. The last one was an eye in the middle, where he placed different kinds of magical gems.

He read the instructions one more time, just to make sure he was not missing anything.

_This should be enough…, _he thought, and looked at the clock one more time.

"01:54"

He took another deep breath and recited an enchantment.

The air in the room begun to spin around him, faster with every second. Red lightnings emanated erratically from the circle. The shape of an eye begun to materialize in the middle.

Then all of a sudden the wind became weaker. The sparks vanished in a second, and the lines on the floor begun to fade.

"no…no, no, no!" Waver yelled "I did everything it said! Everything! Where did I go wrong?"

He turned to the book which was still opened on his desk, and quickly went through the steps again.

"…a powerful catalyst". He read out loud, then turned to the gems in the middle. They had all merged into one big, solid crystal.

"It's not enough…"

Determined, he picked a knife, and made a deep cut in the palm of his hand. The blood burst immediately out of his skin.

_Even if my magical circuit is week, even if I don't come from a big family of mages, I need to try…_

He flipped his palm facing down. The blood poured onto the center of the circle, completely covering the crystal in the middle.

The wind raised again. This time fiercely. The whole room swirled around the circle, and a magnetic force dragged Waver to the floor in the middle. He felt like he was being pulled from every limb in different directions, like he was going to rip at any time. He yelled but the wind was so loud he could not hear his own voice. He tried to move but the magnetic force immobilized him. The force begun to tear his skin apart.

All Waver could pray for in that moment was to pass out of pain before he died.

He opened his eyes, with trouble, and faced the bed. The white t-shirt was still under it.

"Rider…", he whispered

A sudden fear took over him. He panicked. His tears were immediately carried away by the strong gust every time they came out of his eyes. He could no longer keep them opened. The pain slowly begun to fade, and his body became numb.

"I don't want to die", he cried, "Rider…please, I don't want to die. I'm scared. Rider…"


	2. The meeting

** Chapter 2: The Meeting**

Waver woke up to the murmur of a crowd. Still unable to open his eyes, he lied there for a couple of minutes, and felt the sunlight on his eyelids. The heat hit him like a slap on the face, but at least he could now feel his body. He tried to open his eyes, but the sun was blinding. He moved his fingers, then his toes. His neck, legs and arms, one by one, and tried to remember the feeling from a moment before.

He was able to keep one eye partly opened, observing his own hands. Once he was finally able to sit up, he patted down his own body, making sure everything was in its right place. He checked for any mark on his body, anything in his pockets or somewhere near around him that could indicate he had succeeded in his experiment. There was no trace of such thing. Only a single red gem was left in his pocket. Nothing else.

He then recalled being pulled by a magnetic force, and clearly remembered how his body was dismantled, or so he felt. There was no magical artifact in his possession, but he was not in his room anymore. That only lead to one conclusion: he had been transported to somewhere else.

"Oh God!"

He hyperventilated, exited yet scared.

He looked around him. Men and women wandering around in haste. Some of them carried swords and weapons, others carried silk and goods. Numerous wagons made their way through the cobblestone streets, which converged all into the city gates. A wall raised at the distance, almost as tall as the sky.

"These people...this city...", Waver observed, fearing the worst. It could only mean one thing.

"I have traveled to the past!" He yelled, alarmed

A refreshing breeze blew Waver's hair. He took a deep breath, got on his feet and examined the place carefully.

_"I never thought London had such a lively vibe in the past_", he observed, _"it seems like the sun actually existed in these land before."_

He followed the crowd into the market, pleased and surprised _"I was expecting to see endless green fields and barbarians roasting rabbits on a fire"_

The folks carried heavy sacks from one side to the other and loaded the wagons. They wore long, earth-colored tunics, wrapped around their shoulders and waists. A man was trying to cut through, pushing Waver aside and whispering a curse in a language that he did not recognize right away. But it certainly wasn't English. Nor Celtic, Welsh, Gaelic or anything like that.

"Wait…is this place…?"

He ran in circles, desperately looking for the Thames river, almost certain he wouldn't find it.

He tried to overhear some people's conversation to find out which language they spoke, and suddenly realized it.

"Ancient Greece?! But…how is that possible? This cannot be! Time travel is precise and can only move time back and forward, not physical objects or beings! Something must have gone wrong"

He instinctively looked for his notes or books, but then remembered he had nothing with him, except his clothes. This was another issue: he was starting to stand out from the rest of the town folks. They were noticing something different about him already, pointing at him and making comments.

But Waver was too exited to care about his clothes or his looks at that moment. He rushed to the city gates, impatient to see the rest of it. Massive marble statues decorated both sides of the gates. Golden details shinning all over them under the sunlight, giving the city a golden gleam.

The view was so stunning that Waver could not look away, not for one second, not even while running.

"Hey! watch ou-!" A stranger's voice came right towards him. Waver took a second to process these words in ancient Greek, but it was too late. Their bodies clashed.

The hit was so hard that it brought both of them to the ground. A few seconds passed before they moved.

"What an idiot". The stranger struggled to push him away, Waver's dead weight on top of him.

Waver looked down at him, and his eyes met with the face of a young man. Fierce eyes, thick, auburn eyebrows scowling at him.

"Are you going to sit there and stare all day?" The stranger asked, annoyed. "Can't you talk?"

"Oh! Sorry! I'm so sorry!" Waver quickly got up and offered his hand to help him up.

The boy ignored the gesture, and got up in one single, agile movement.

"What were you thinking? Running like that without looking where you are going…Nobody can be that dumb"

He scanned Waver with his eyes for a moment and examined his face closely.

"Although your face does look a bit… let's say, not precisely the epitome of cleverness"

"Oi, who do you think you are?!"

"No but seriously, what's with those strange clothes? And that…hair?"

Waver's eyes went from the boy to his own clothes, then back to the boy. His black shirt and matching dress pants contrasted with the boy's grey, hooded cloak, falling all the way down to his sandals.

"You must be a foreigner" The boy asked, genuinely interested, "where are you from?"

"That's…. That's none of your business." Waver turned and walked away.

"Bumping into somebody and then walking away from them? That is rude." The boy followed him.

"I already apologized", Waver said, without turning to him or stopping. "Besides, you are not the precise definition of politeness either, _kid_." He empathized that last word just to annoy him, hoping he would finally go away. He did not.

Waver turned left into an alley and sped up his pace, with the hope he would lose him.

"Kid, you say? I'm not a kid. I look younger than I am. I'm probably your age. Show some respect"

"Just drop it. What a stubborn kid."

"Hey, take that back!"

"I'm not into picking up fights with kids"

"I said, take that back. I'll give you one more chance…"

Waver suddenly stopped.

The boy did so too, smiling with satisfaction.

"So, you can be reasonable after all, foreigner. I accept your apology."

"Shhh" Hushed him Waver, taking a few steps back. He blocked the boy's way with his arm. "Stay behind me", he ordered him.

The boy could see a group of six men standing in front of them, heavily armed. The gang walked towards them.

"You. The one with the funny hair, we want your clothes. And all your belongings"

The boy stepped forward, gently pushing Waver away.

"Please, leave us." He said. calm face yet intense eyes. "Leave now and no one will be harmed"

There was a moment of silence, followed by a burst of hysteric laughter.

"Stay out of this, kid." Waver grabbed the boy's shoulder. By all means, he wanted to avoid using magic in front of someone, but it seemed he had no other option. He was outnumbered.

The men stepped forward. So did the boy, followed by Waver, who's hand was ready to summon an enchantment at any time.

The tallest of the bandits was the first to strike, swinging his ax at the boy.

"Kid, move!"

But the boy stopped the ax by its handle in a single movement, without moving from his place.

"For the last time…I am not a kid!" He yelled as he lifted the man in the air. "And I have a name!"

The boy removed his cloak. A thin auburn braid fell over his shoulder. In spite of his short height, under that cloak hid the body of a well-trained young man. A black leather armor covered his upper body, emulating his abdominal muscles. A matching black pair of greaves protected his legs up to his knees. There was no doubt he was an experienced warrior.

The five remaining men charged all at once. With a simple dagger, the boy fended from all their attacks, and one by one the men fell on the ground with a single blow of his dagger. Waver observed the scene, surprised by the young man's strength and agility. As the men lied unconscious on the ground. Waver concluded this could only mean, given the boy's skill, he was just choosing not to kill them.

_"He can't be a bad person",_ Waver thought with ease.

The boy turned to him, smirking. His face showed pride, yet there was no sign of arrogance, nothing else than the satisfaction of being able to protect someone. Waver thought that was the most noble expression he had seen in a while.

The boy offered his hand

"My name is Alexandros"

"I'm Waver. Waver Velvet." He reached for his hand.

Just before they could shake hands, Alexandros was shot with an arrow in the middle of his chest. The blood instantly burst from Alexandros mouth onto Waver's still extended hand. Horrified, it took two seconds for Waver to move out of his shock and search for the offender. The tall man who was knocked out a few minutes ago was now on his feet holding a bow. Alexandros collapsed on the floor at Waver's feet.

"You are next." The man grinned malevolently.

It was that smile that triggered Waver's wrath. He recited an enchantment, and his troubled, infuriated breath gave more life to his words. One of the spears from the floor floated in mid air and landed in the middle of the man's stomach, causing him an instant death.

"You…" whispered Alexandros from the ground, panting, "…you have…m-magic."

A puddle of blood slowly expanded around his body, his eyes barely opened.

Waver rushed to help him, but there was little he could do. He didn't have any of his materials or spell books. He desperately looked in his pockets, and suddenly remembered the only gem he had left. He placed it on Alexandros' chest and recited a long spell. The arrow on his chest emitted a red shine. Waver grabbed it and it disintegrated in his hand. Alexander groaned in pain, but just a moment after, his breathing begun to improve. The wound stopped bleeding and his skin slowly began to regenerate.

"A mage…" Alexandros' voice was still week. He made a painful expression when Waver helped him up.

"You are smarter than you look then, Waver Velvet." Alexandros joked

"How very kind of you, I'm flattered." Waver smiled sarcastically

"What? That was meant as a compliment"

"Well then you need to work on your compliments. A simple "thank you" would be enough"

"Thank you" Alexander slightly vowed with his head to him, solemnly. His expression showed honest gratitude.

"Forget about it. You saved my life, I saved yours. Big deal..." He looked away, feeling awkward.

"Ha! You are an interesting one!" Alexandros laughed in amusement, "First you demand my gratitude and then you refuse to accept it"

Waver ignored his comment.

Alexander's chest was now almost fully recovered, although still weak.

"Alright then, Waver the mage. Shall we go?" Said Alexander as he helped himself up.

"Go where?"

"To my home of course! You are my most welcomed guest. As a token of my gratitude I will have a feast on your honor tonight, and I will fetch you the best wine in the kingdom. After our stomachs are filled then you will tell me all about it"

"About what?"

"Magic, of course!" He gave Waver a pat on the back, so hard, he nearly pushed him to the ground.

"No way. I'm leaving. I need to go back" Waver walked away as he spoke.

"And where would that be?" Alexandros followed.

"London" Waver kept walking.

"London?" He looked at him, curious. "Is this "London" kingdom a prosperous one?"

"yes, very. If not the most prosperous"

"Ha! Interesting. I have no knowledge of such place" He said, thoughtfully. "Tell me, Waver the mage, is this London realm of yours located beyond the Cyclades islands?"

"No…I don't know. And stop calling me that."

"You don't know? Then how do you plan to get there, if you don't know?"

"I don't know!"

Alexandros suddenly stopped in front of Waver, making him stop.

"Stay here tonight!" He said as he pointed at him

"No!"

"Stay, and I shall give you my finest ship as your departing gift. You will set sail tomorrow morning"

"I said no!"

"Why?"

"Because…" he could not think of a reason. How could he explain to him that he accidentally time-traveled there and he could not interact with anybody without altering the course of history?

"Listen, Waver. Do you have a boat?"

"No…"

"Do you have a place to stay?"

"No, but-"

"Then it's settled! You will stay and you will leave at dawn." He gave him a big, confident smile.

Weaver hesitated a moment. _Well, it is true that I don't have anywhere to stay. And I could be stuck here for a while until I figure out how to go back,_ he thought.

Waver sighed "OK, let's go, before I regret it"

"You will not regret this!" Alexandros patted his back again with excitement, this time Waver actually landed with his face on the ground.

"What the…" Waver could not believe the view of such a luxurious, ancient building before his eyes.

"You live in a palace?!"

"Oh yeah! I forgot to mention. I am the prince" Alexander smiled

"How the hell can someone forget something like that!"

The gates opened, and guards marched to the sound of drums towards them.

"The prince, Alexandros of Macedon!"

One of the guards announced his arrival.

"Macedon…" Waver though out loud. Something suddenly clicked in his head…

_"… Alexandros of Macedon?!" _He covered his own mouth with both hands to prevent himself from yelling.

"Young master! Welcome back!" Two men ran to welcome them.

"Parmenion, Orestys" Alexandros hugged them and they started a conversation.

Waver could not focus on a word they where saying, their voices sounded like some background music to his thoughts. He froze.

_So if he is the prince of Macedon… _

Waver stared at the red-haired young man and it suddenly came to him...

_Then Alexandros is…_

_…_

"Alexander..." Waver Mumbled, "...Alexander the Great"

"Sorry, what?" Alexandros turned to him, puzzled

"You are Alexander the Great..." Waver stared at him in astonishment.

Alexandros chuckled, flattered.

"Well, I've never been called that before, but I can certainly get used to it"

Waver suddenly realized the young man would not be known by that name until many years from now. How could he begin to explain to him the situation? He was not even sure how to feel himself. Alexandros, Alexander the Great, known by the name of Iskandar in the East, his servant during the Holy Grail war. His partner, his friend. The king he swore to follow until his death. He had been expecting this moment of reunion for so long, and now there he was. Alive. Real. Yet this Alexander possessed no memories of the moments they shared. No, this was someone else. A stranger. His image differed greatly from the one he had in his memories of a great king. Strong and wise and experienced. He wasn't sure weather he would scream out of joy or run away from this stranger. But most of all, he feared the outcome of this fortuitous meeting, never meant to be.

He recalled the words of professor El-Melloi in the Clock Tower, during one of his very first lectures:

_"__…for those who still believe in time travel, they think of it as a double-edged sword. It could be the most powerful weapon, yet it could also lead to you very own destruction. The tiniest detail can alter the course of history forever. You must be a mere observer, and never interfere"._

There was no way he could tell young Alexander anything about his future, or about the Grail Wars. This realization made him deeply sad all of a sudden.

"Waver?" Alexandros could read his troubled face.

"Sorry. I got distracted"

"Did you want to tell me something?"

"Alexandros...I mean, Alexander. I will call you Alexander. It's easier to get used to"

"Hmmm" he crossed his arms against his chest, thoughtful. "I like how it sounds"

They both smiled.

"And now…" Alexander wrapped one arm around Waver's neck, nearly chocking him. "Let's get you out of those hideous rags and fetch you some decent robes. I don't want you to become the centre of attention, since that should be me", he joked.

Waver sighed.

_...Oh dear…I am already regretting this…_


	3. The Feast

**Chapter 3: The Feast**

It was the first time Waver had been inside a palace. The palace of Pella seemed to him like a whole city within a city.

_"Buckingham palace looks like a doll house compared to this"_, he thought.

Soldiers marched through the pebble mosaic corridors in between the tall Doric column. Young men trained in the courtyard, and a couple of girls giggled as the young prince and his mage companion passed by on their way into the throne room, where the council took place.

As soon as they entered the room, one of the soldiers came to their welcoming, followed by a dozen of servants. By his pace, Waver could tell the man was agile for his age – late sixties was his guess-. Golden armor, greaves and pouldrons, silver hair falling onto his shoulders. A leather belt incrusted with jewels and golden details indicated his high rank in the army.

"Young prince! You are finally back! I thought we would never see you again!" The old man opened his arms dramatically to hug him.

Alexander rolled his eyes.

"There is no need to be so dramatic, Attalus. I was just away for a couple days"

The old man's smile was instantly wiped away when he looked at the hole in Alexander's armor.

"Is that blood?" he asked, horrified

Alexander looked away

"My Lord, this is the third time this month! And need I remind you that we are still at war?"

"I know, that's exactly why I need to be out there. I was… on spy duty"

"Please send your men, my lord! It is too dangerous for you, if something happened to you…", he paused to take a deep breath, "your men need you. Your father is getting too old for battle, and the new recruits have been waiting for you to start their training. They need someone to lead them".

"Yes, I understand. But how could I ask my men to risk their lives if I am not willing to do the same? How can they believe in me?"

"Please my lord, be careful. Just promise me you will let me know next time"

Alexander sighed

"Fine. But I will cut your head off if you tell my father"

Waver chuckled, sarcastically.

"First you run away from your duties and then you threatening someone who is worried about you... And then you have the courage to complain when people call you a spoiled brat…" Waver pointed out.

Attalus gave him a deadly glare.

"How dare you speak to the prince in such way. Apologize or I'll have you killed!"

"It's ok Attalus, I trust this man. Besides, he was just joking, right?", he winked at Waver, who looked at him a bit hesitant, but agreed.

"Yes, my lord", he slightly bowed with his head

Only Alexander could read the sarcasm in his voice, but he didn't mind. In fact, he found it even somewhat amusing.

"Make sure he gets decent clothes for dinner, and find him a room".

"He is staying in the palace?" Attalus asked, concerned about the sudden interest of his prince in a foreign stranger they knew little about.

"Surely you don't expect my guest to stay in the city where he doesn't know anybody. Do you?"

"No, of course not…"

"Alright", Alexander said as he stretched, "I'll get ready for the feast. All that fighting made me sweaty, I'll need a good bath. I'll See you in a bit"

Waver watched him walk away, followed by ten servants, men and women.

Attalus scanned Waver from his feet to the head with a suspicious look, and then turned to the closest servant.

"You heard the prince, boy"

The servant nodded and turned to Waver

"Please sir, follow me"

Waver obeyed

They walked through the mosaic corridor and across the garden. They passed several rooms, none of them had doors, but only the missing part of the walls that served as them. Waver peeked in every now and then. He could see huge baths where numerous women bathed, and men on the other side. Sometimes they did more than just bathe each other. In one occasion, Waver exchanged looks with a girl. She smiled at him, but he looked away and kept walking until he finally reached his room.

They entered, and the boy stood at the entrance in silence staring at Waver.

Waver coughed "Thank you, that would be all" he said, hoping he would leave

"Sorry my lord, but my job is to take care of you, and help you get ready for the feast"

"Oh…no, no, no," he chuckled, "I'm not a lord or anything like that. There is no need for that."

"It doesn't matter, all it matters is that you are the young master's guest"

"I appreciate it, but I'm not worthy of such treatment. I can do it myself, thank you...uhhh", he tried to recall the boy's name, "I'm sorry, I've been extremely rude. We haven't even introduced ourselves. My name is Waver Velvet"

The boy opened his eyes wide, then looked down

"No one has ever asked my name before"

"Well then, no one has manners". He joked. The boy smiled

"Menes" The boy offered his hand

"Menes…?"

"Just Menes. Or Menes of Pella if you like. I am orphan, orphans take the name of their birthplace. I was born here in the palace."

"Alright then, Menes of Pella, you are released from your duties with me"

"Forgive me sir," he now stood up straight, chin high, and spoke firmly, "but I cannot do that. I follow only his highness the prince Alexandros' orders"

Waver sighed

"You are very loyal, Menes, Alexander is very lucky to have people like you"

"Thank you, sir. Prince Alexandros has always been very kind to me… the few times I've had the honor to serve him directly"

Realizing that the boy wasn't going anywhere, Waver decided it was best to get on with it the sooner the better. He tried to ignore the fact that there was no door and a spectator. He unbuttoned his shirt and undid his pants. The boy stood by his side -Waver couldn't help feeling a little awkward- and handed him a white tunic and a red cape. Then he watched his master trying to put them on, without success.

"Excuse me, but you are a foreigner, correct? You wouldn't know how to do it properly. Here, if I may…"

After a last failed attempt, Waver gave in. He took a deep breath and let the boy do his job. He wrapped the robe around Waver's naked body, while he closed his eyes trying not to think too much about it. Just a moment after the boy stopped and Waver opened his eyes.

"All done, sir. Now the sandals, and you are ready for dinner"

That was a lot faster and easier than Waver expected. He managed to put on his sandals and they both exited the room towards the hall.

The great feast had already begun. Endless tables set with all kinds of meat and fruit, numerous cups made of gold already half filled with wine. People standing all around the room, men and women, lively chatting, drinking and singing. Waver wondered how all these people were related to Alexander, or if they were related at all. He searched for him in the crowd but couldn't see him. All he could see was the old man Attalus frowning at him, sitting at the only table that was placed higher than the rest, the table for royalty members and the king's council. Waver tried to get out of the old man's sight by sitting on the other corner of the room. He felt awkward being the only one who was sitting, and the least he wanted was any more undesired attention.

Lucky for him, turn their attention toward the royal table, suddenly cheering loudly at the triumphal entrance of the prince in the hall.

Waver got up and clapped along with the crowd, hoping Alexander would see him. But only Attalus looked at him.

"Don't mind Attalus" a man appeared beside him. Tall, dark-skinned, middle-aged man, dressed in a soldier armor, "he is just overprotective with Alexandros. He is almost like a son to him"

Waver stared at the stranger in silence, wondering if everyone in Macedon was this talkative to strangers.

"Oh, I'm Parmenion" He offered his hand to greet him

"Waver Velvet"

"I know, Alexandros has told me everything about you"

"Everything? But we just met this morning, he knows nothing about me"

"Yet he trusts you" The tall man gave Waver an intense glare. His face nothing like the warm person from a moment ago, but a another, intimidating man.

"Why? Why does he trust you?" Parmenion went on

Waver did not know what to reply. A drop of sweat ran down his back.

"I wonder if you used your magic on him…". He paused a moment to observe the young mage's reaction "Why are you here, Waver Velvet? What are your true intentions?"

They exchanged looks for a long while in silence, Parmenion's hand resting on his sword's handle. As intimidating as the man was, Waver refused to look away

"ha!" Parmenion finally laughed, then gave Waver a pat on the shoulder, "I was just testing you, boy. You have a strong will. I can see why he likes you"

Waver faked a laugh to hide his anxiety

"Come boy, let's get you a drink"

"I'm ok thanks, I don't really drink"

"Oh…" he pouted, slightly confused

"But I could have some food", Waver said right away. He didn't want to look impolite. After all, Alexandros did say he was having the feast for him… didn't he?

"Are we celebrating something?", Waver said as he served himself some lamb

"Nothing in particular", Parmenion imitated him. "The prince just wanted to welcome his guests"

He pointed to the royal table with his chin, since his hands were busy.

Waver looked in that direction. Alexander lively chatting with noblemen and women – or so Waver assumed by their luxurious looking clothes and jewels- as they came with presents for him, one after another. A woman with long blonde hair sat solemnly by Alexander's side. To Waver, she looked bored and upset, even disgusted perhaps.

A second later another woman, younger -almost as young as Alexander- sat at the other end of the table. The golden-haired woman abruptly got up from her seat, yelling something at her. Something Waver was not able to hear all the way across the room. Nobody noticed, except the people at the royal table, who all turned to her. Them and Parmenion.

"That blonde beauty is Olympias. Alexander's mother", he clarified.

Waver observed her long, thin, figure, and imagined how beautiful she must have been in a younger age.

"And that young lady over there, the one who just came in, that's Eurydice. King Phillip's seventh wife"

Alexander had now gotten up, trying to calm his mother down, while the young woman left the room in tears.

"As you can see, Olympias is not very fond of her"

"But why?"

"Well, I don't blame her. Eurydice is half her age, and double in beauty. King Philippe is very fond of her daughter and son. The young prince is second in line of succession, although still younger in age by several years than Alexander, the first prince. But Eurydice is Attalus daughter, captain of King Phillipe's army and close friend. I think Olympias feels threaten by them. It's only natural that she fears for her son's future"

"I see. So, the King has several wives and potential heirs"

"It's only logical. In case one of his wives can't produce a male heir, he needs to make sure he has options. Isn't that what your King does there in…uhh… where is it you come from again?"

"England"

"Right…"

"Not quite", he smiled.

Parmenion shrugged and stuffed some lamb chops in his mouth.

Waver looked at Alexander again and wondered what the king was like. Was Alexander anything like his father? He certainly had his mother's wide, penetrating eyes and delicate features. Yet he was nothing like her at the same time. His eyes were full of life and his smile full of passion. His whole being didn't have that negative aura like Olympias'. Did he get his temper from his father? Perhaps his mentors? Or maybe he built up his own character? His thoughts were interrupted by a third person joining the conversation.

"I see you have not given up your interest for young boys, Parmenion". A man stood behind them. Soldier, around the same age as Parmenion, slightly older.

"You should not attempt to make jokes, Orestys. It doesn't suit you"

"You are right. My bad. I am just in a good mood today"

"Why are you here anyway, I thought you were out with king Philipos. It's rare to see you leave his side, as his personal body guard"

"Very rare indeed. But you see, he left me in charge of something important. Something that fool of Attalus was not able to do. The King asked me to look for his son who was missing. And there he is, safe, by his side. I am celebrating he has been found"

"Not by you, 'though" muttered Waver into his cup, taking a sip of water

"What did you just say?" Orestys turned to him with a threatening look

"Nothing…I was just talking to myself"

"This is Waver Velvet, Alexandros' personal acquaintance", interrupted Parmenion

"Is he, now?" he looked at him, skeptical

"Anyway, I'm glad the prince is back now. He has tons of work to do in his father's absence. Lucky for him, he has us to help him", continued Parmenion

Orestys gave Waver another glare. "See you around", he said, and walked away. As soon as he left, Parmenion poked Waver on the chest with a finger.

"You need to learn your place, young mage, or you are going to get yourself killed. Be careful with your words"

"jeez, why can't anyone take a joke anymore?"

"Not this one, no"

"Not only him. That Attalus guy is the same. I wonder if they are related"

Parmenion let out a hysterical laugh "You are quite a comedian. Don't you ever let him hear you say that, or you will definitely get killed. They hate each others' guts"

"Why?"

"Long story. Not the time and place. Maybe some other time. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some wine to drink and a wife to bed. Enjoy the feast, young mage".

He gently patted Waver on the back and left the room.

Waver had a strange and unfamiliar feeling of anxiety now that he was left alone again. Although he never really cared about being alone, he had to admit it was nice to have someone to chat with in a social event. He also had discovered he liked getting to know the people who surrounded Alexander, and wanted to learn more.

He sat in a corner and observed the scene, fascinated by the idea of taking part of the history he had read in books many times. He looked at Alexander, at his mother, all the people in the royal table, and he suddenly felt so tiny. He had a strange feeling like he didn't belong.

Time to go to sleep, he thought.

A second later someone had put a cup of wine in front of his face.

"For you, master Waver". Menes, the servant boy, was standing in front to him

"Oh, thank you, but I'm ok, I don't really-"

"You better accept it, my lord, since your secret admirer is someone of great power. Almost as great as his pride", he joked, turning his sight to the person who had sent him the precious offering.

Alexander sat triumphantly on his father's throne at the royal table. His elbow resting on the arm of the chair, slightly leaning to the side. He was staring at Waver with a smirk on his lips. He raised his cup to cheer with him.

Waver's lips curved in a funny way, surprisingly amused. He took a sip of wine, without looking away from Alexander. The young prince grinned as he watched him do so, delighted, pleased to see that a valuable treasure like his finest wine was properly appreciated by his guest.

Waver raised his cup and nodded, in sign of gratitude. Alexander nodded back in acknowledgment. Their looks lingered a while longer, until Attalus blocked Alexander's view by standing in front of him to tell him something.

"Enjoying the wine master?" Menes asked

"Yes, it's…It's amazing, thank you. And please, just call me Waver"

The boy's eyes shone brighter than the golden cup

"I'm glad you like it, Waver", the boy smiled

Waver was glad he had someone to talk to again. The evening went on with chattering and drinking. The more Waver talked, the thirstier he got, and more wine was poured into his cup. They talked about the food, about the kingdom, about the gods. They talked and waver drank, the boy kept pouring. He poured until Waver begun to feel dizzy and sleepy.

He looked around. He had trouble trying to focus his eyes. The feast was almost coming to its end. Some people where already laughing loudly and picking up fights, while others just euphorically danced to the melody of the harps, honoring the god Dionysus. Waver tried focusing one more time, looking for Alexander at the table, but he lost his sight again. Instead, he saw a man in a black hooded cloak, who's figure did not seem to merge properly with the rest of the picture. He stood still and empty-looking, in the middle of a lively crowd. The image was so out of place that Waver had to rub his eyes to make sure it as not a secondary effect of the wine. When he opened his eyes, the man wasn't there anymore.

Now it really is time to go to bed, he told himself, getting up and taking a last sip of his wine.

He somehow found his way through the corridors of the palace, back to his room.

_"I cannot stay here much longer, or I will disrupt Alexander's fate. I need to find a way to go back..."_

He said thought, almost as if he was trying to persuade himself to leave. For every minute he spent in the Ancient Greece, the more curious he grew about Alexander's life before he became the great conqueror he once knew.

He entered his room with a final resolution.

"I can't see him again," he thought out loud, "...ever again. I need to leave tomorrow before he finds me. I can never see him again…"

"See who?", answered a voice from inside the room.

Alexander was lying on the furniture that served as a couch, his legs dangling on the arm rest and holding a cup of wine.

"What the-?"

"I hoped you enjoyed the feast"

"It was amazing yes…"

Waver pointed a finger at him, suddenly confused, "But what are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you, of course. I'm looking forward to our little chat"

"Chat?"

"Magic, Waver! I want to know everything about it"

He now got up enthusiastically and put his cup down.

Waver sighed. He had totally forgotten about that.

"Alexander..." he face-palmed, "go to your room, please, I want to sleep"

"Unacceptable! I don't know when will I have another chance to meet a real mage like you! Now, come join me", he said, patting the pillow next to him, inviting his guest to sit by his side

"Listen, I am tired. Could we-"

"Nonsense!" Alexander interrupted "the goddess Nyx made the night long to witness our endless conversations with allies and enemies. It is during nigh time that our brains work the best, and the stars enlighten your thoughts. Wine and conversation, what could possibly make this evening any better?"

"... I can think of a few things..." Waver muttered, "Going home would be one"

"You are funny, boy. Weird, but funny", Alexander laughed

"I am not a boy, I am 21", Waver said, slightly offended

"Huh?" Alexander opened his eyes wide "21? With that tiny body?" he asked, surprised. He grabbed Waver's wrist, gently lifting his arm to examine his muscles. Waver pushed him away and scowled at him.

"And those delicate features…". The young prince grabbed Waver by his chin, forcing him move his head from side to side to examine his face closely.

Waver slapped Alexander's hand away

"You may be bigger than me in size, but you act like a kid. And your face is also the face of a kid. I thought you were like 15 when I first saw you"

"Well, I'm 18". He said proudly, his hands on his hips

_"18?! But that's three years younger than me."_ Waver thought. Then coughed to changed the subject

"Anyway, good night. I'm going to bed". He walked towards the bed, hoping the prince would leave.

He did not know that someone's desire to sleep was no obstacle for his ambitious young prince.

Waver lied facing down on the bed pretending to be asleep. A few seconds later he could feel the weight on the other side of the bed. He turned into that direction and his eyes met directly with Alexander's hungry eyes, so thirsty for knowledge, it was overwhelming. Waver jumped back a little.

"Hey, what are you-"

"Tell me, mage, are you an alchemist?"

"Get out of my bed!"

"Well, technically is my bed..."

"You can't invite someone to your place and then rub it on their faces"

"You can stay as long as you want if you reveal to me your secrets about magic"

"Who says I want to stay forever, you idiot! …You don't understand anything...ever", he sunk his face into a pillow in frustration

"Ever? You speak as if we have known each other for a long time", the ginger haired man looked at him, suspicious.

"I do feel like I know you from somewhere. Have we met before?"

" …ever…ever since we met this morning, I meant", Waver replied hasty, his face still hidden

"hmm", Alexander crossed his arms, hesitant.

"So, are you an alchemist or not?" Alexander asked, bending over to get closer to Waver. "Where you born with magic? How do you transmute matter? Is it achievable for anybody? How can I obtain magic? Do you have a philosopher stone?"

Waver had now sat on the bed.

"Wow, wow, slow down, that's too many questions and way too complex answers"

"That's perfect! We have all night"

"Ugh" protested Waver as he let himself drop on his back against the bed

Alexander leaned on Waver's stomach, smiling. "Is that a yes?"

Waver rolled turning his back at him. The prince leaned over him and poked his cheek. Waver's eyes focused on something else trying hard to ignore him. Alexander poked him again, this time harder. No answer. Twice. Still the same. The third time Waver muttered a curse and sat on the bed.

"You truly are a stubborn and ambitious little prince, aren't you?"

"That is the way a king should be raised to be", he answered proudly

"What is the point of that, if people are only doing what you tell them to do because you have authority over them?"

"You are wrong" Alexander's tone and face became suddenly darker, "I would never rely on my position as king to be accepted by my followers...unlike my father..."

Waver could tell he had offended him. He wasn't sure weather to apologize or just change subject. Lucky for him, it was Alexander who carried on with the conversation.

"Anyway, that is not the way my mentor has taught me. I have always won an argument fair and square. Not only intellectual quarrels, but also in a fight". His words did not denote arrogance, but only truth.

"Mentor?"

"Aristotle... I wonder what became that old man, he disappeared a few years ago. After I helped him rebuilt his town… never heard of him again", he said, lost in his thought for a moment.

Waver's jaw dropped, speechless.

"Why are you looking at me like an idiot?", wondered Alexander

"Th-THE Aristotle?!"

"You know him? I didn't know he was so well known in the far away kingdom of "London""

"You have no idea..." he sighed, suddenly disappointed by the thought of living in the same era as him and not being able to see him. "I guess it's impossible to meet him then"

Alexander looked at him, thoughtful, and an idea came to his mind. He got up and took a book from the shelf in the room, then handed it over to Waver.

"What is this?"

"Take it"

Waver examined it. It was Aristotle's original writing and thoughts on Alexander's education. His eyes begun to tear, moved by his host's noble gesture

"But this...this is…"

"For you", he smiled, "and I have more if you want to take a look at them. There's Plato and others too. And if you are into other things like Aristophanes, or Sophocles, they are all in here"

He pointed to a shelf full of books.

Waver could not hold his tears of excitement any longer

"Thank you", he said, kneeling and bowing to him

"W-What are you doing…? Don't be so formal, there is no need to thank me", he replied, slightly embarrassed. As a Greek prince, he was not used to people kneeling before him in his culture.

"I-It's not a big deal, I have plenty of books. It's fine, as long as this makes you change that stupid sad face you've had ever since you entered this palace", the prince scoffed, rising his eyebrows.

Waver felt suddenly stupid, and rude. The prince was treating him as a guest after all, and he was being extremely ungratefully to him.

"I'm sorry, your grace", he said as he smiled at him, nodding. "Alright. I'll tell you everything you need to know. Listen carefully-"

"It's late now. Go to sleep. We have a lot to talk about tomorrow"

"Huh?! But-but you… you just said-"

"Sleep well, mage Waver! I'll see you in the morning. May the god Morpheus be with you, and send you the most pleasant dreams"

Alexander left the room leaving Waver puzzled

"Damn it. Who understands him?"


	4. The Deal

**Chapter 4: The Deal**

Waver woke up to the sound of drums. He stared at the white adobe ceiling, still disoriented. He stretched, and a sudden back pain reminded him he lacked the comfort of the modern days' beds. Still half asleep, he looked through the window. Judging by the sun's position it must have been around noon. Soldiers were already sweating out there in the courtyard's training grounds.

"Damn, it! I missed breakfast!"

Waver dressed up in haste, certain he was not doing it properly, and ran to find Alexander. When he turned into a corner, he bumped into Menes. The boy carried a pile of freshly cleaned sheets, all which needed to be washed again now thanks to Waver.

"I'm so sorry", the young mage rushed to help him pick up the mess.

"It's ok, please, let me. It's my fault for being so clumsy"

"I shouldn't have been running. Don't worry, I used to be very clumsy too...I still am kinda clumsy sometimes, to be honest."

They both laughed and folded in the sheets

"Waver!" Alexander jumped in, "what are you doing over there? Stop playing around and let the boy do his work. Come with me"

_"playing around..."._ Waver looked at him with dead fish eyes, then turned to the boy again

"Well then, Menes, see you later."

Waver gave him a warm smile. The boy nodded and smiled back, then opened his mouth to say something. Alexander interrupted them before he could speak, pulling Waver by an arm and dragging him away.

"I can walk by myself, you know?", pointed out the young mage, although he did not oppose any resistance.

"Can you, now?" Alexander asked, sarcastically, without letting go of him. "I wasn't sure since you were taking so long."

They stopped at a huge ancient gate, behind it hid an even bigger vault. By the look of the dusty planks it seemed like nobody had used it in a long time.

"What is this about?" Waver asked, curiously

"A job"

Alexander removed the rusty iron plank that served as a lock, placed both hands against the gates and pushed until it opened wide. Waver could tell by the cracking sound of the wood that whoever made those doors that heavy, meant to keep people away from whatever they guarded.

Alexander entered, followed by Waver, and the door quickly closed behind them.

He was astonished to find a room so big that he could have fit his foster grandparents' old house from Japan two times in there. He guessed it was probably the biggest room in the palace.

There were tables and shelfs all around, and on them rested infinite number of books, potions and different kinds of herbs and other ingredients.

Two old men were working on an experiment. One of them mixing and stirring, the other one supervising. Both men turned to them when they entered the room. Waver recognized the soldier in charge, General Attalus. _"Great,"_ he thought, "_seems like I won't get rid of this guy easily". _

"My lord," spoke the General, "may I ask what business does this foreign boy have with a delicate matter like this?"

"Show some respect old man, this "boy_"_ is a mage. He is here to help"

"I...what?" Waver looked at him, surprised

"Mage?" both men yelled equally surprised, both for different reasons. Attalus gave the old physician a dirty look and his smile immediately faded, then he turned to the Prince.

"Pardon me, my lord, but surely you don't think this boy..."

"Are you defying my orders?" Alexander gave him a threatening look

"Certainly not, sir" the man looked down at his feet

"He meant no disrespect, he is just concerned about opening up this room to a complete stranger. So am I, my lord." Explained Attalus

The prince's severe tone and face slowly turned into to a much softer one. He took a deep breath before he spoke.

"You have always been a loyal servant, Attalus, and a wise friend. Both of you. I trust you will take good care of Waver. You can learn a lot from each other"

"I'm sure we will…" The old man agreed, although Waver sensed his words had other intentions.

"Hold on a second!" interrupted Waver. "No one has asked _my _opinion. You didn't say anything about working for you. You said you just wanted to talk. And now you are forcing me to work for you? Where I come from people would call it slavery." He crossed his arms against his chest.

"Silence!" Attalus had drawn his sword and pointed it at Waver. "I warned you, the next time you speak to our Prince like that…"

"Leave us" Alexander said before the old man could finish his threat

Both men's look went from Alexander to Waver, twice. After a moment of silence, the old men left the room.

Waver let out a sigh

"Listen, it's not that I don't want to help you, Alexander. I just can't. I… I shouldn't. Magic is not meant for war"

"Magic is already being used for war"

Waver closed his eyes for a second. As if he tried to pretend he didn't hear what he had heard

"No. Not here too…" He said, disappointed

"The Persian alchemists have acquired great weapons. If they continue like this, they will destroy entire cities, and they will win the war. We need to find something more powerful than anything they can possibly think of. Something…like the philosopher's stone…"

"No," Waver shook his head, "you don't understand…You shouldn't seek for a power of that sort. I could never help you. I've seen what magic does in war, I've seen enough people die. And I can tell you, nothing good can come out of it. Magic always comes with a price to pay…"

Alexander observed how Waver's expression turned slowly darker and sadder.

"I am sorry to hear that you have experienced such horrible things." He rested both hands on Waver's shoulders. The young mage looked up and listened to what he had to say.

"And I am sorry to ask you to go through this again, I truly am…" Alexander spoke in a sweet voice but with determination, "but that is exactly the reason why I have to do it. My people are dying. They are being murdered in the most horrible ways you could ever imagine." He frowned at the thought of it.

"I can't. I'm sorry." Waver looked away, too week to reject him looking into his eyes.

"Please! I am begging you."

To his surprise, Alexander had knelt before him

"Please, don't..."

"Waver. When you saved me, a stranger you had never met before, you used your powers to cure me without thinking. Without knowing who I was. Not caring if I was poor or rich, not expecting anything in return. That is when I knew you have the purest heart I've ever seen. I am not asking you to fight or kill for me. I only ask for you to stop the pain of my people."

Waver felt cornered. It broke his heart to see this young stubborn prince so desperately asking for help, but he also was determined not to use his magic to help him win a war. This could mean altering the whole history. His brain was working on a convincing argument.

"Magic does not take sides...it cannot take sides"

"Perhaps. But _you_ can. Persian alchemists certainly can and _have_ taken sides already. Even the gods have taken sides too."

Waver stared at him in silence

"Are you not my ally, Waver?"

"You know I am. But..."

He could not think of anything else to say

"Waver, please". Alexander took one of Waver's hands between his own and rested his forehead on them, as if he was praying.

The young mage sighed

"Alright"

Alexander looked up with a smile on his face

"But I have one condition". Waver raised one finger, and Alexander let go of his hand, listening carefully.

"I will not contribute to create any weapon or artifact intended to take people's life. No matter which side. I will only provide you with the essentials to extend people's life and relieve their pain"

"I understand"

"Not to mention the philosopher stone. Absolutely out of the question"

"Understood"

"And... tell that Attalus guy to stop being on my ass all the time"

"Noted"

"Also..."

"…I thought you said one thing…"

"I want access to _all_ of the original manuscripts of the philosophers"

"Yes, yes. I had already offered you that in the first place"

Waver smiled at him and offered his hand to help him up. Alexander smiled back at him, his eyes full of excitement, and accepted his hand. He got and with one short movement he pulled Waver close, elbow against elbow.

"Deal"

"Deal"

"That means you work for me now, mage"

"I know what that means, prince"

"Are you sure? That means you will be taking orders from me, and you won't be able to refuse"

"I can take more than you think"

Someone knocked on the door, and entered without waiting for permission to come in

"My lord! Sorry to interrupt" A soldier stormed in. "We have been looking for you. Your father has returned"

"What? So early?" Alexander looked at him, alarmed. "Is he ok?"

"He has news for you"

Alexander exited the room without even turning back to Waver.

He was left in the room by himself, wondering what was that all about._ "What am I supposed to do now?"_ He thought, looking around. _"I guess I can start by making a few sedatives and serums"_

On a second thought, he realized having a job in a place like that was not such a bad idea. There were plenty of books about magic, and he could freely research whatever he wanted until he figured out how to go back to the present.

"At least nobody will disturb me here." He thought out loud as he picked up a book

The door suddenly opened slowly. Attalus and the old physician behind it

_"Well...almost nobody..."_


	5. The Rage of Alexander

**Chapter 5: The rage of Alexander**

The king's troupes entered in a large line through the city entrance. Women and old men struggled through the crowd to get in the front line, hoping to see their beloved ones back alive, or at least their bodies. Outside the gates of the palace, the corpses were being placed for their relatives to recognize them.

Between the crowd a young girl tiptoed to see the soldiers. She saw the king and his party slowly entering the palace followed by numerous servants and she followed them. She struggled against the herd of desperate people, hit and pushed several times. Her highborn clothes and jewelry had caught the attention of the thieves that roamed in big crowds. She was so focused on not letting the king's party out of her sight, that she didn't realize two men were targeting her

"What a pretty necklace, isn't it?", one of them said as he pulled the golden ornament from her neck. The other one held her from behind

"Almost as pretty as her face", he said, grinning

"Don't touch me!" The girl cried, giving him a head-butt, which made him let go of her. When he did, she fell on her knees

"You little…"

The man pulled her by her long, red hair as she screamed. A second later, the girl dropped to the ground again. When she looked back, both men were beaten on the ground.

"Alexandros…"

"Are you alright?" The prince helped the girl up

"I'm ok", she said, fixing her clothes

They both followed from the distance the king and his men into the palace

"What were you doing out here?" Alexander asked, watching the girl tiptoeing every two steps. He faced into the direction she was looking.

She wasn't paying attention to his words

"…sister?"

"Yes?"

"I asked you a question…what were you doing outside the palace?"

"Oh, I…uh… I happened to be walking through the gardens when I heard the news of father's troupes coming into the city, so I went out to peek", she said, without looking away, still on tiptoes.

"…looking for someone?". Alexander raised his eyebrows

"I just wanted to see that father is ok…". She turned to him now, "What were _you_ doing out there, brother?"

Alexander searched with his eyes for something in the crowd

"Same as you…"

They entered the palace and the gates closed behind them, then they headed towards the great hall. They stopped by the entrance and met with their father and his men. The king's wives, children and other members of the council also came to welcome him. Alexander and his sister observed king Phillip from the back of the small crowd that surrounded him. A man in a bloodied silver armor stood still by the king's side, so tall that he made the king look small. He turned to where Alexander and his sister were, and the princess smiled, shedding tears of relief.

The king took off his helmet and his golden locks fell down his shoulders.

"Your grace", General Attalus was the first one to welcome him.

"Attalus". Phillip gave him a tight, quick hug. "Where is Orestis?", he said, looking around

"Orestis!", the king called his name and he came right away, "any news of my son?"

"He's been found, your grace. I believe he is right here"

The king turned, looking for the prince.

Alexander walked toward his father, his sister by his side. The king smiled and walked towards them too, followed by the man in the silver armor.

"Father", they both said in unison, glancing down with respect

"You have disobeyed my orders again, Alexandros"

The prince didn't reply or move for a while.

"I am sorry, father"

There was a moment of silence, then the king's face relaxed.

"I don't want you to apologize, I want you to…"

"I am sorry…", Alexander interrupted "…that your orders are not aligned with the principles that you and my master have taught me, and therefore I cannot obey them."

The king scoffed, and then smiled proudly

"I raised you to be a king, but Macedon might be too small for you, my boy. One day you will need to find yourself a bigger kingdom."

Alexander looked up and smiled, speechless. It was the first time in years his father had complimented him. He thought maybe the war had softened him, or perhaps he was just getting old.

The man in the silver armor standing by the king's side removed his helmet, letting out his dark hair and the handsome face of a young man. The princess looked up at him, subtly. Her eyes met with his deep, green eyes, staring right at her. He smiled and she looked down again, trying to hide her smile.

"Ptolemy", the king turned to the young man. He didn't seem to hear him.

"Ptolemy", he repeated, "has war left you deaf?"

"No, your grace", he quickly turned to him

"Gather everyone for a small council meeting, immediately", commanded the king.

"Right away, your grace", the young man nodded.

Alexander looked at his sister and smiled

"It's a relief to see that Ptolemy is back, isn't it?"

"Y-yes", she stuttered, "I am glad everyone is back and safe", she replied nervously, making sure her father and Ptolemy were far away enough not to hear Alexander

"Everyone, but specially Ptolemy. Isn't that what you are trying to say?" Olympias joined in the siblings' conversation

"Mother…", said the prince, surprised

"Careful with your jokes, Alexandros, you don't want them to end up in the wrong ears", she looked at her daughter, bitterly. She would have gone on with the subject, but something else caught her attention.

Eurydice, the king's youngest wife, had come to welcome him. Before she could reach him, Olympias intercepted her.

"Phillip has called for a small council meeting…", she said

"Oh…". Euridice looked at her, disappointed," I won't be long, I just wanted to talk to him…to see if he is alright…"

"That means you cannot attend", Olympias continued in a loud voice, ignoring her words

"And neither can you...", Phillip jumped in, giving Olympias a glare. He then turned to his daughter, "Child, please take your mother with you, I think she is not feeling very well".

"Come, mother", she whispered as she held her hand. Olympias looked at the king's back with despise as he walked into the throne room, followed by the rest of the council. Alexander was the last one to enter.

They all took a seat at the table. All except Alexander, who was looking around.

"Your grace", spoke Attalus, "let us begin by debriefing the results of the…"

"hold on…" Interrupted Alexander "We can't start without Hephaestion". He scoffed, and looked at his father, "where is he?"

The king sat quietly at the throne. The prince looked at everyone sitting at the table, and they all looked away in silence.

"Father…?", Alexander's heartbeat raised. He waited for an answer. "Where is Hephaestion?"

The king remained silent. Alexander was losing his patience

"Answer me!", he yelled, "where is he?! Where is Hephaestion?"

Then he turned to the rest of the council, desperately seeking for an answer

"Where is he!?"

"We don't know", Phillip yelled back at him

"What? What do you mean you don't know; how can you not know? He marched with you, he was leading one of your battalions!"

The king gave him a painful look and tried to find the words to explain the events happened, but he couldn't.

By his father's silence, Alexander assumed the worst. He closed his eyes and bit his lip, containing his tears.

"So you just let him out there to rot? To be eaten by the crows?", his voice shacked, and his chin trembled as he spoke.

"We don't know he is dead for sure yet" said Ptolemy in a soft tone, trying to comfort him. He hesitated one more moment before he spoke. "We… we were ambushed on our way to Epirus, Hephaestion was in front and he saw the trap coming. He warned us and protected us, buying us time to escape…"

"It was his first battle as commander, you knew that! How could you throw him in the front line like that!", yelled Alexander, banging the table in front of his father with his fists

"He sacrificed himself to protect us. Do not dishonor him or his actions!", Phillip finally said

Alexander digested his father's words. He panted heavily, and his eyes became suddenly watery

"But…he can't. He can't die…we were supposed to become heroes…we were going to become a legend…together…how could he…"

His tears struggled to come out, he tried so hard to contain them that it hurt his chest. He clenched his fists and groaned in pain, shivering, and all that sorrow turned into rage.

"Damn it!", he shouted as he kicked the chair he was supposed to sit on, so hard that it broke, "Damn you!"

Philip thought he was yelling at him, and he understood his son's anger. But Alexander was not angry at his father, really, he was angry at Hephaestion.

"Where is he…", the prince panted heavily, "Where is his body…?"

"My lord," Attalus walked toward him with the intention of calming him down, "If you could give us some time to gather more troops and…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Alexander lifted him in the air by his robes, his face burning red with wrath

"Where… is he…?"

"Put him down, he was not there, you fool. Think before you threaten someone", said Ptolemy, grabbing the prince's arm, making him let go of Attalus

"You were there! How could you leave him! He was like a brother to you!"

"I didn't leave him! My troops didn't even make it there. By the time the ambush happened we were already on our way back…", he said, his eyes grey with regret

"Son", the king spoke, "I understand your sorrow. We have already started gathering a search party for Hephaestion, but the men have been marching for days, they need food and rest. And they need something to fight for…".

He paused to watch Alexander's reaction, and continued when he had his full attention.

"…There is a chance to end this war if we get enough support, but for that I will need your help. Not only your skills as a warrior, but your skills as a diplomat and a politician. Right now, you must let your personal business aside. A king always prioritizes his people and his kingdom before himself. As the future king, you…"

"I will not go anywhere!", Alexander did not let him finish his sentence. "Not until I find Hephaestion"

"Did you hear a word of what I said, boy?", King Phillip said, raising his voice, now standing up. "Do you think you are more important than anybody else? Is your grief more important than the mothers' and wives' and brothers' and sister's who moan the fallen soldiers in battle? You are not the only one who is suffering…do not forget that"

"I will go. With or without your support", the prince said with determination, "and if I die, you can find yourself another heir, since I am not fit…"

Everyone in the council gasped.

They looked at each other for a long, silent moment. Then Phillip sighed, defeated.

"I will give you 30 men, no more; a larger number will draw too much attention. Travel lightly, with no banners, and ride away from the main roads. You leave at dawn"

"I leave now"

"You leave at nightfall and you stay for the council meeting, or you go by yourself".

Alexander gazed at him, still breathing heavily, his nostrils widening with every breath. He finally accepted and sat on the stairs in silence, listening to the council meeting.

Several ours later the meeting came to its end. Alexander stormed out of the room to gather his men and prepare the horses, followed by Ptolemy and Parmenion.

"Be careful, son", Phillip said as he watched him walk away

The prince did not stop or look back

* * *

"Damn you, old man!"

Waver complained under the heat of a bright sun shining over the mountains

"Out of all jobs I could be doing in that lab…he sends me to pick up herbs? Who does he think he is? He'll see when I go back…Damn it!"

He tripped with a rock and rolled down the hill, losing all the little amount of herbs he had collected. He got up and looked at the empty basket, throwing it away and screaming in frustration.

He took a deep breath and sat on the ground under the shade of an olive tree, staring at the city of Pella's from the distance. _What is that idiot prince doing?_ he wondered. He had not heard from Alexander since that morning when he left him with Attalus and the old physician, who had given him the only task of collecting herbs to brew healing potions. It had been a full day of work and so far, he hadn't learnt a thing. Instead, he had only acquired a bad sunburn and sweaty clothes.

"Damn him too…", he said to himself.

A sudden smell of burnt wood and flesh reached him. He looked for the place where the fire was coming, and he saw several pyres burning all the way from the hills to the temple of Demeter in the outside of the city. He walked a few meters towards the closest fire he could see.

It was a funerary pyre. An old couple moaned by the fire, both kneeling. A young man's body was slowly being consumed by the flames in the middle of the pyre. The couple turned to Waver when he passed by.

"Excuse me sir, ma'am…what happened?"

"There are so many of them… so many, that we cannot longer perform the funerary rites within the city", spoke the man, devastated

"He was our youngest son", said the woman, an empty look in her eyes

"I am so sorry for your loss…"

"The youngest of five. They all died before him, one after another", she continued. The tears burst from her eyes, but her face showed no expression.

"In a war?"

The man turned to him, surprised

"You are not from here, are you, boy?"

"No. Sorry…"

"Then run far away from here while you still can…"

"I don't really understand what's happening…"

"There is nothing to understand", the woman said, "War is war. And war takes everything away from you, and it never comes back. I can only pray to the gods for my son's soul to be reunited with his brothers'."

"No parent should bury their children…", said Waver, feeling deeply sorry for them. They somehow reminded him of his grandparents.

"No…no parent should", the woman replied, staring at her son's corpse.

Waver looked at all the other hundreds of pyres burning around the city. He took a deep breath and went up the mountain again. He recovered his basket and collected more herbs.

He continued until the night fell and he could no longer distinguish one plant from another.

The young mage made his way down the hill, and by that time, most fires were almost extinguished. He walked into the city, and saw a line of corpses lying on the ground, still awaiting to be claimed by their beloved ones. Widows roaming the streets like lost souls, and orphans begging for food all over the place. With every step he took, Waver was more determined to help these people. He was ready to tell Alexander he was willing to do whatever it took to help him.

Right before he reached the palace, the gates suddenly opened wide.

Alexander rode with 30 other men out of the city in haste. Waver stood there, watching him disappear behind the mountains.


	6. The Stranger in a Cloak

The people stared at Waver as he dragged his feet back inside. His clothes now dirty rags. His hair, tangled, covered in dirt and leaves. His fashion did not match the vibe of the fancy people of the palace, who looked at him with suspicious eyes. Not one familiar face to Waver's eyes. He suddenly felt like a stranger again, and all he could think of was taking a shower and going to bed, _his _bed, in _his_ comfortable apartment. But he had to finish his job first. He had already made up his mind.

The last ray of sunlight was now gone, and night fell over the palace, covering it with darkness. Only the soft silver glow of the moon above, giving the palace a silver gleam. Some torches begun to light up in the distance, one after another. Waver decided it was safe to cut through the gardens and made his way through the bushes. Everything was quiet and still, except for the soft flow of the water in the garden fountains.

A sudden crack sound made Waver jump. He turned back and see who was coming.

Nothing. He could swear he had heard some branches crack behind him, as if someone had stepped on them, yet nobody else was there. He turned again to continue walking, and a strange silhouette materialized before him. All he could see was a young face under a black cloak. It was hard to distinguish weather it was a male of a female from that distance. The person smiled, and slowly walked away, as if telling Waver to follow. So he did. The lab was in that direction after all.

He walked across several long corridors in almost complete darkness, sometimes losing track of the stranger. But as soon as he was ready to give up and walk the other way, the stranger appeared again right in front of him, almost like in some sort of game of hide and seek.

"Excuse me…", Waver tried to talk to him, but before he could finish the stranger had disappeared behind a corner.

Waver wandered around for a bit, but it was too dark and there was no sign of the stranger. Maybe he had imagined the whole thing? He had been working under the heat for so long after all. Maybe he was just too tired. He decided it was better to deliver the ingredients to the old physician and get some rest first. He could leave the investigating for the next day.

He turned back to head to the lab when suddenly a line of torches lit up one by one in the hallway, creating a path for Waver. He hesitated for a second. _This can't be any good,_ he worried, _I sense something dangerous, but I also feel like it could lead me to the answer I have been looking for…._

He heard some voices in the distance coming his way, and the first torch went out, slowly followed by the second one, and the next few slowly begun to fade. He had no time to decide. _Damn it, if there is an intruder…_, he thought as he followed the lights, _I need to find out and warn Alexander_. The last torch ended at the entrance of a dark room.

A shadow came from behind. "Come, Waver", someone whispered, and then entered the room.

"Hey wait…" Waver followed.

_How does he know my name? _he wondered. Waver was aware that it could be risky, but trusted that the if person knew his name, it could be someone to trust. He could sense a powerful magical circuit nearby.

As soon as he stepped into the room, the whole place lit up. It was a small, empty room. He suddenly found himself alone with the stranger in the black cloak.

"How do you know my name?", Waver asked, trying to get closer to see the person's face. It still didn't seem familiar. "Do I know you?"

"Not yet". The deep, raspy voice that came from that mouth did not match the female-like features of the face.

"Who are you?"

"It's not a matter of_ who, _but _what…"_

Waver stared, puzzled.

The stranger moved at a slow pace towards him. Waver turned away, and when he did the stranger was already standing in front of him. Waver swallowed, and cold sweat ran down his spine.

"I am Time…", the stranger whispered at his ear, then pushed back the hood of the cloak, revealing an androgynous face. Eyes glowing red, and an almost animal-like smile.

"I've been called many names before, and will be called many others, but I first was named as Zurvan"

"Zurvan…", Repeated Waver. "What are you doing in the palace? Do you work for Alexander, or are you his enemy?"

"In a certain way, both", the creature said, as it grinned.

Waver tried to remain calm, but his eyes betrayed him, desperately looking for the exit.

"Are you in a hurry?"

Waver felt a drop of cold sweat running through his neck

"What do you want…?", Waver asked, trying to find another way out

The creature looked at him and smiled.

"I want… you…"

In that moment Waver ran towards the exit as fast as he could, but after two steps something stopped him. He was caught in a magnetic field, unable to move._ What is this? _He wanted to talk but his voice wouldn't come out. _This feels like…exactly like the day I time traveled here…_, he recalled, horrified by the memories of his body being teared apart.

The creature placed three fingers on Waver's chest, and then violently inserted them in his body. Black miasma emanated from the wound, releasing several electrical charges in the air in the form of lightnings.

Waver's felt how the air left his lungs, gasping desperately. The pain was so great he thought he would pass out. But instead, he remained conscious as he watched how a tiny crystal slowly emerged from inside himself, extracted by the monstrous creature. He thought he was dreaming, that he was living one of his worse nightmares, that he was soon waking up in his apartment. But the pain was so intense that it couldn't have been a dream.

_Is this how I'm going to die?_ He wondered. Then he closed his eyes, giving in.

A sudden image of Alexander reached his thoughts.

_That's right, he won't be able to save me now. He is not here. He is not coming…_

He opened his eyes once more. The creature was still struggling to extract the crystal from his chest.

_What a funny way to kill time…_

He thought, and figured that pun would have made Alexander laugh.

Then suddenly he got an idea.

_Time…?_

He pictured Kiritsugu Emiya's time magic and his ability to delay time for a few seconds, -just like the one he had seen in books- which he had tried before a couple times, failing most of them.

_But what if you reverse the time…?_

He focused, and almost certain he would fail, tried to rewind time.

He found his strength to recite an enchantment, his voice a mere whisper. His words travelled around the room, and the crystal reacted to them. The crystal discharged a massive electrical charge, and the magnetic force disappeared along with the crystal. Waver was now able to move. He felt like the air became thinner, and he had the strange feeling like his body became lighter. The creature was completely still for a moment, but its eyes suddenly turned to Waver. The creature was moving. Barely a few millimetres per second, but it was moving. Waver finally reacted. He got up and ran out of the room as fast as he could.

He ran across the dark corridors back to the laboratory, tripping a few times. He was running out of breath and his body was giving into the fatigue, but he didn't stop or turn back once. Not until he reached the lab. He entered, and after taking a deep breath, he casted a quick protection spell on the doors.

_Its over,_ he thought, as he panted heavily, _I'm alive…_

He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Ah!", Waver screamed.

"Are you alright, boy?", the old physician asked, alarmed

"For… fuck's sake…", Waver whispered, still panting, and then lied on the floor against the door.

"You look like you've seen a ghost", the old man frowned at him, worried.

Waver looked at him and laughed until he chocked on his own cough. The old man thought he was losing his mind.

"Poor boy…he's gone mad"

"I'm alright. I'm just happy to be alive…", he said, resting his head on his knees.

"Here", the man handed him over a tiny bottle that contained some sort of potion.

"What is it?" Waver asked, and the bottle reached his lips before he waited for an answer.

"Wine"

Waver snorted, nearly spitting it out.

"Oh…whatever…", he said, and chugged the whole thing. Then he sighed, relieved, and his breath slowly turned back to normal.

"What am I doing!?" He suddenly yelled, getting on his feet again. "I need to warn the council!"

"What are you talking about?"

"No time to explain!" He said as he rushed to the door. "I need to find…"

When he opened the door Attalus was behind it, blocking his way out.

"Attalus!"

The old general looked suspicious at the young mage's sudden pleasure to see him.

"I was just about to go find you! Listen, there is an intruder in the palace… I was in this tiny, creepy old room, and then there was this…this creature, and he…she…it tried to kill me!"

"Wait, what? An intruder? That's impossible, I just came back from the guard's rounds check, nobody has seen anybody."

"It is not _anybody_! It is _time_! And I don't know what it wants, but I fear is something bad…something really bad is going to happen, Attalus, and…"

"Hold on, slow down, you are not making any sense…"

"…And the crystal…the crystal was inside me, and now…I feel it, in me…" Waver said, suddenly realizing the strange feeling in his chest.

"Boy…if you are trying to get away with your duties with this…

"I' M NOT!"

"Where is your basket of herbs that I asked you to fill up early this morning?" Asked the physician

"Ugh! I don't have time for this!"

Waver stormed out and ran to the council room. "I'm finding someone who believes me."

He ran straight, as fast as he could, too afraid to even look back. He suddenly realized that he didn't know anybody else in the palace, and he was about to tell a story to a bunch of powerful strangers who knew nothing about him. His pace unconsciously began to slow down, out of insecurity.

"Where is that stupid prince when I need him?", he muttered to himself.

He stopped by the entrance of the council room, and quickly glanced from one side of the corridor to the other to see if someone -or something- was coming. He peeked in, there was nobody in the room. "_Of course they are not," h_e realized_," they are probably in the banquet hall_." He ran for a couple more meters until he reached the hall. He entered and stood in a corner, scanning for a familiar face in the crowd. He recognized Alexander's mother; her face apathetic as ever. He had never been formally introduced to her -or to most people in that room for that matter-. He thought it inappropriate to go and talk to her. Alexander's family was royalty after all.

He searched for Parmenion but couldn't find him either. He made his way through the crowd to talk to someone, anybody from the council, but a guard stopped him.

"Please let me through, I need to talk to the queen!", cried Waver

"Queen? Which queen? King Phillip has many wives…"

"There is only one Alexandros' mother!"

"Alexandros? Since when are you so familiar with the prince? I think he would have mentioned you if you were, wouldn't he?", he frowned at him, suspiciously.

"But I need to…here is…"

"Now go, before I change my mind and kick you out, bum". The guard gave him an annoyed yet somehow pitiful look.

"What? I'm not…" Waver took a look at his own clothes again. He had forgotten he looked like a bum.

"Please, I live in the palace, I can explain… let me just… I need you to come with me and see something…"

The guard pushed him back with his lance, but Waver did not stop.

"Please sir! I need you to deliver a message!" The mage's voice rose in frustration, loud enough to get the attention of a second guard, who wasn't half as nice as the first one. This one grabbed Waver by his rags right away and pushed him back.

"Please!" Waver begged "Tell them that Alexandros is in danger!. The people of Pella are in danger! There is someone, something coming for us! All of us! Tell them...!"

"Go home, kid, you don't belong here…" The first guard said as he watched Waver get dragged away by the other guard, throwing him out of the room.

"Who was that?" Asked a curious young ginger girl staring at the scene.

"Just a poor crazy homeless, my lady, nothing to worry about."

"Oh…", she said, with a sad look in her eyes.

* * *

Waver headed back to his room, disappointed and scared, wishing Alexander was there. Where was that damn fool?

"That's it. I'm done trying to save these people. They all drink and eat and laugh while others fight their wars. People are out there fighting and…and old people burying their children, and that's-that's not, that shouldn't…" His voice broke and tears burst out of his eyes with that thought. He sobbed and wiped his tears, but they quickly came out again.

"Why am I even here? I don't understand what's happening in this war. I don't know anybody here. I just want to go home. Where is Alexander? Where is he?"

He thought of his friend. Not the young, temperamental prince, but the great conqueror he fought along side two years ago. Where was he now when he needed him the most?

The king of conqueror's words echoed in his head:

"_The inferiority you feel is actually the quality of a king. You may grumble a lot, but you know how small you are. And yet you still struggle to reach heights greater than you can imagine__._"

Those word of encouragement gave him hope, yet he still couldn't help the feeling of nostalgia.

He wept his last tear and stood tall.

"Waver, are you crying?" Menes suddenly bumped into him

"I-I'm not!"

"Ok, sorry, but why are your eyes so…"

"I… I am allergic to nettle, and I've been picking herbs all day!"

The boy scanned Waver's dirty robes. "Y-yes I can…see that…"

"Yeah I could probably use a bath and some clean robes." He said, slightly embarrassed.

"I'll prepare the bath for you."

"Thank you, you are very kind."

"It's my pleasure."

"And Menes" Waver grabbed the boy's arm before he could leave. "It's good to know there is at least one person I can count on in this strange place", he said with a warm smile.

The boy smiled back "You can always, always count on me. Trust me with anything you need!"

Waver watched him leave and wondered if he should trust him with what he had just experienced. But that was something he would think about later. Right now, he could only think of a bath and a bed. Nothing else.

_At least its presence seems to have vanished for now_, Waver realized. He was no longer terrified, but the creature he had encountered was still in his thoughts.

Waver entered his room and decided to read some philosophy books, just to kill time until his bath was ready. To keep his mind busy with something.

He sat on the floor -he didn't want to get his clean bedsheets dirty- and took a few books to read. He only got to the first two lines before he lost all concentration.

He got up and looked through the window. The night as still as a cup of milk. No movement outside. The city of Pella slept soundly under the protection of prince Alexander. Waver wondered if they even knew that the prince had left hours ago.

He sighed, resigned to the idea of not being able to see Alexander anytime son. He had just left last morning, after all. It could be days, even weeks before he could come back. The distances by horse were long, and he didn't have any idea of where he was going.

_I'll make him pay for this…,_ he thought_, I'll make him explain everything to me. He'll see…leaving me here by myself…with no idea of what is going on…_

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a slight noise of banging.

"Waver…"

The mage turned, eyes wide opened. Alexander was standing right in front of him.

Waver stared at him in silence for a moment, speechless. The prince was covered in blood. His armor half ripped, scratches and bruises all over his face and arms. His red hair merging with the blood coming from a big cut in his forehead, forcing him to keep one eye closed.

He slowly walked towards Waver, panting and limping in a funny way.

"You look like shit", the prince finally said, staring at Waver's messy hair and clothes.

"Look who is talking…"

The prince chuckled, the mage smiled.

Waver could think of a hundred things he wanted to say to him. But at that moment only three words came out of his mouth.

"Welcome back, idiot."

Alexander laughed, and a second later he held his stomach in pain.

"You are hurt" Waver held him by the arm to help him stand "Let's take you to the lab to heal your wounds."

"No. Please…" Alexander begged him with troubled eyes. "Please, heal my soldiers first."

Waver could feel Alexander's weight falling more and more, leaning on him. He was losing his strength. The mage sighed, and helped him walk. Alexander guided him towards where the injured soldiers were. A trace of blood left behind them as they walked.

"You could have just sent someone for me, you know?" Complained Waver, "look at the mess you are making." He said as he watched a drop of blood drip from the prince's body.

"You wouldn't have come," Alexander's voice sounded exhausted, but steady, "You must be pretty mad at me."

Waver didn't see that coming.

"W-why would I be mad at you?" He faked indifference.

"I mean…I would be if I were you. Left alone with strangers, in a foreign land, with no clue of what's happening…you are my guest after all."

Waver couldn't help feeling slightly embarrassed. He mistrusted his host, and underestimated his observational skills and empathy. And now he felt like he was an open book to him. That made him slightly anxious.

"Well, you should have said something before you left. I didn't know how long you were going to be away. And you left me under the care of that annoying guy…"

"I did, I'm sorry. I had urgent matters to attend. I'll explain later. First, I need you to heal my soldiers, please."

"Yes, yes, you already said that." Waver said carelessly. "Don't think I'll forgive you so easily."

Alexander made a painful expression, and they entered the room that served as a temporary infirmary for the injured.

"Alexandros! Where were you!? We have been looking for you!" Olympias rushed to see her son, concerned. "Why didn't you report to me at once after you arrived?"

"I had more important things to do. Getting help, for example"

"Help? What kind of help? Where is this help?"

Alexander pointed at Waver. "Here"

The mage looked at him puzzled. It took him a few seconds to realize they were talking about him.

"Y-your Grace", Waver saluted

"He is our new physician, Waver Velvet," announced the prince, "he is here to help heal the wounded."

"What is wrong with our old physician?"

"Exactly that. He is old. But worry not, mother, they are working together; he is learning everything."

"Well go ahead and worry about your self first. Look at you. What will the people of Pella think when they see their prince like this? Their morale will go down the hill."

Alexander ignored her and kept walking with Waver's help.

"You may not like it, but she has a point, Alexander." Whispered Waver, but the prince didn't reply. Instead, he knelt by a soldier's side.

"Please, heal him." He begged.

The soldier's face was intact. Perfect golden curls fell over a gentle face, long eyelashes popping out from his closed eyelids. There was not a single scratch or drop of blood. Yet his skin was pale and his face lacked all signs of life. His lips tinted with a bluish tone. Waver wondered what was wrong with him. He scanned the rest of the body with his eyes. The soldier's hand rested on his stomach. Alexandros moved the blond boy's arm aside and lifted the blanket he was covered under, revealing a fatal wound caused by a lance through the abdomen.

Waver gasped. He instantly looked around the room for some potions or anything that he could use to help him. He didn't have much knowledge of medicine, and he wasn't sure he should be using magic in the palace, especially when it could lure that horrible creature. But he couldn't leave that man to die.

"At least I should be able to take out the lance and stop the blood. But we will need to be very quick and careful…"

"…we?"

"I need you to pull the lance while I stop the bleeding. But Alexander, listen, I won't lie to you, I can't guarantee this will work…"

"Anything is better than just watching him die." Alexander was now holding the soldier's hand, who's eyebrows softly curved for a second.

After seeing Alexander's devotion, Waver gathered that person must have been someone very dear to the prince. He could not let him down.

The mage whispered an enchantment, and the prince held the lance between his hands. The second he pulled it out, time froze in the room. For everyone except Waver.

He quickly pushed against the wound before the man bled out, and bandaged him around his waist. A second later the man was gasping in pain, green eyes wide opened, only to fall unconscious again another second later.

"Hephaestion!" Alexander yelped. In his eyes, tears of joy. "You made it, you bastard." He muttered, as he kissed his forehead.

Waver observed the scene, relieved. "Thank god…"

"No._ Thank you_." Alexander said in a soft voice, without parting from the man who lied unconscious by his side.

"Can I heal you now?"

"You've helped me enough. More than you can imagine. I'm ok. Please, just go help the others. I'll be alright, don't worry. I won't move from here, I'll be watching him." Alexander smiled, giving Waver some sort of comfort.

The mage helped the old physician for the next couple of minutes, until everyone was settled down.

"Phew, what a day." Waver commented, as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Especially for you" the old physician said, handing him over a leather water canteen with wine. This time Waver drank the contents without hesitating.

"Yeah, I should probably go to bed soon or I'll pass out too. Then I will be no use."

"Oh, you are plenty of use, Waver Velvet. Plenty of use."

Waver smiled, flattered, and then got up to walk to his room.

"Ah! I forgot my bath! Oh no, I hope it's still warm." He thought out loud.

* * *

The bath was warm and relaxing. In the warmth and comfort of the hot water Waver could now think more clearly, starting to put his thoughts in order. He needed to find a way to go back to the present. That was the first thing, no doubt. But he could now see that would take time. Meanwhile, working in the lab for research and learning one or two things from the old physician couldn't do him any harm. He could even use this new knowledge to performing healing magic -his healing magic was useless without a powerful catalyst-. The second thing that was in his mind was that creature, Zurvan, the creature who claimed to be "time". There was no doubt it was related with his journey to this ancient era. But how? He could not tell. And what was that crystal he was after? Why was it inside his body? That was the greatest question of all. One more thing came to his mind. Who was that wounded soldier? He was curious to know about his bond with Alexander, who seemed very fond of him. With this last thought he jumped out of the bath.

"Alexander! I forgot to tell him about it! I must warn him!"

He wrapped himself in a towel with haste, and rushed out the bathroom.

Then he stopped all of a sudden.

_Wait, I don't even know what time is it…it's probably late and he would be sleeping._ He thought, hesitant. _But this is crucial, he could be in danger, I need to warn him... Or should I wait until the morning?_

He circled around for a few second, biting his nails.

_No, I need to tell him. _

He passed by the hospital room, and all the lights were out, the injured all resting. There was only one place Alexander could be at that moment. He rushed to his room.

Without thinking, he stormed into Alexander's room.

"Alexander! I need to…"

But his speech was interrupted by the surprise his eyes witnessed.

"Waver?" Alexander turned to him, puzzled. He was half naked, his arms wrapped around the waist of young and beautiful woman.

The mage turned around, astonished and feeling awkward. "Sorry I… I didn't mean to interrupt, I can come back later."

"Please," spoke the girl in a sweet voice, "you are not interrupting. I'm the one who is intruding. Forgive me, brother, you should have told me you were expecting company"

"W-what?" Alexander cried, slightly embarrassed, "No, its nothing like that."

"Brother?" Waver turned to the girl, studying her face. Red, long hair hanging from a bun.

"Although I have to admit it looks kind of suspicious…" Said the Prince crossing his arms. "Waver, what are you doing here in the middle of the night dressing like…that?" His eyebrows raised as he stared at Waver's towel, almost falling from his waist.

Waver's hands went to his towel by reflexes, blushing violently.

"I-I was having a bath…and I forgot I had to tell you something really important! And then I rushed here and forgot I wasn't wearing any clothes!"

"Sorry, have we met before?" The girl looked at Waver, carefully

"I don't believe so, no."

"Oh, my bad!" Alexander said. "Waver, this is my sister, Cleo. Cleo, this is Waver Velvet, my personal physician and mage."

"P-pleasure to meet you", said Waver, surprisingly polite.

"No, no" She replied, thoughtfully. "I _have_ seen you before. Weren't you at the banquet hall this evening?"

"I… uh… no, not that I remember" lied Waver, recalling the scene he made during that evening's dinner with the guards.

"Oh yes!" She opened her eyes wide and rejoiced at her good memory. "You are that homeless boy they threw out of the room!"

"ah ha ha" He laughed, nervously.

"You what?" Asked Alexander, confused.

"You must have mistaken me for someone else, my lady. That was definitely not me." Said Waver, faking a smile.

"What does she mean? What happened at dinner?"

"No idea. Listen, I need to talk to you, in private." Waver changed the subject.

"It's alright. I trust Cleo with my life. Whatever it is, she can be part of it."

"It's ok, brother, I was just leaving anyway now that I'm done with healing your wounds."

Waver looked at the several bandages all over Alexander's half naked body with relief.

"Thank you", he said to the girl.

She chuckled, "you don't have to thank me, I'm his sister," She smiled, "But I thank you for taking care of my brother. Thank you for your concern."

Waver felt some sudden warmth coming up to his cheeks.

"I meant, thank you for healing him, since I wasn't able to. It's my job as his physician."

"I know what you meant". The girl's smile grew wider.

"Anyway," she continued, "I'll leave you guys to it. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight" She said, kissing her brother on the cheek and heading out of the room.

There was a moment of silence. Then Alexander yawned and let himself drop in the bed.

"Hey…" Waver, said from the distance, "Hey, don't you just fall asleep now."

There was no answer. Waver came closer.

"If you are pretending to be sleeping just so you don't have to listen…"

He could hear a soft snore coming from the young man's face, sunk in the pillow.

The mage sighed, looking at Alexander's wounds. He still had many questions, and he still needed to tell him what happened. But for now, he would just let him get some rest.

_He must have fought hard today. He came back in less than 24 hours with all his men, and more. Making sure they all survived._ Waver thought with a smile on his lips.

_He deserves some peace now. _

He covered him with a blanket, and slowly left the room to get some rest himself.


	7. The Prince's Duty -I-

**Chapter 7**

**The Prince's Duty - Part I -**

That morning Waver jumped on the bed, shook by the clanging sound of an armor thrown into his bed.

"What the…?!" he yelled, alarmed.

"Good morning, Waver." Alexander was standing right next to him.

"What is wrong with you? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Alexander smiled and looked out the window, admiring the morning sunlight.

"Apollo blesses the one who rises with the sun!", he said energetically, "It is a fine day to train outside."

"Train?" Waver muttered, rubbing his eyes, still half asleep, "What are you talking about, Alexander? When have I ever trained one day in my life?" He said, annoyed, lying back in bed.

"Since today!" Alexander dragged him out of bed by his leg.

"Ugh!" Waver cried, grumpy. "Fine, fine! I'm up already! Give me just five minutes to-"

"Breakfast is waiting for you! I'll see you there!"

Alexander left leaving Waver puzzled, staring at the armor on his bed with disapproval.

Out in the training grounds Waver observed from a corner. He could see Alexander sparring with another soldier. Some of the other soldiers watched and cheered, while others fought each other as well. Most of them stopped to look at Alexander when he knocked down his opponent, clapping and cheering for him. Waver wondered what could possible be so amusing about beating someone up, unable to understand how those soldiers rejoiced by exercising and sweating under the sun.

"_They look like a bunch of barbarians_…", he thought. Watching the soldiers beat each other, _"why do I have the sudden feeling like I'm in a cheap circus?" _

He looked at Alexander again, who now wrestled with another man, almost double of him in height and muscles, although his face was the one of a young, handsome man. Curious, Waver walked towards them to have a closer look.

In that moment Alexander's eyes deviated towards Waver for a second, and the tall man used that moment of distraction to tackle him.

Alexander recovered quickly, getting on his feet right away.

"There you are!" He turned to Waver, dodging his opponent's fists.

"Are you sure you should be talking when you are fighting me, Alexandros?", said the tall man, offended. He brought the prince down to the ground and held his arm.

"Ah! I Yield!" Alexander yelled.

The man let him go, and Alexander got on his feet.

"Sorry Ptolemy," he apologized, "I'll get more serious next time. But for now, we have another task". The prince turned to Waver.

"Huh?" Ptolemy looked at Waver, puzzled.

"Come here, Waver", Alexander called him, making a gesture with his hand.

The mage walked closer to them.

"Waver, this is Ptolemy. Ptolemy, Waver Velvet; my personal physician, mage and official soldier in training from this moment on"

Ptolemy nodded at Waver. Waver nodded back, with a short and polite smile, and then turned back to Alexander.

"But Alexander…why do I have to go through this training?" Waver argued, "I'm a mage, I'm supposed to be physically weak. That's why I have my magic to fight with. Magic is my weapon."

"Correct, but spells take long to conjure. You need to learn how to defend yourself, how to hide. You need to be quick and agile in order to survive here. We are at war." Alexander said, patting Waver's back, making him shake a little.

"How is wrestling like a savage going to help me at all?"

"Wrestling? Ha!", Alexander laughed, "My friend, you couldn't wrestle if I trained you for years. No, I am merely going to teach you how to hold a shield, perhaps improve your physical condition to run away from battle. And most importantly, you'll learn how to ride."

"Oh, thanks for having so much faith in me, Alexander, really appreciate it…" Waver said, sarcastically. Alexander ignored him but Ptolemy chuckled.

"Don't worry, you will improve. Nobody is born with fighting skills. You learn them." Another man joined the conversation. Waver recognized the face and the golden hair of the badly injured soldier he helped save a couple days ago.

"Hephaestion…" Alexander looked at the blonde young man, slightly concerned. "I told you, you shouldn't be out here yet. You're not fully recovered…"

"I'm fine", he said, smiling at Alexander. "And I do believe your friend is right, Alexandros. As a mage, he shouldn't need to go through this training. By the way, "He turned to Waver, offering him his hand. "Alexandros told me everything about you, and how you saved me. I am deeply, truly thankful for that."

"No, no problem." Waver shook his hand.

"I want to believe your words of encouragement, Hephaestion," Interrupted Ptolemy, "but I believe that some people are born for fighting and some just…aren't fit for it. look at Alexandros, for example! This guy was born fighting!" Ptolemy said, grabbing Alexander by his neck and rubbing his head harshly.

"Ouch!" Alexander complained, easily escaping from him and twisting his wrist.

"Ok, I yield! I yield!" Ptolemy surrendered. "Damn… see what I mean?"

"Pardon me, my prince. I forgot not all of us can fight like a god." Joked Hephaestion, dramatically vowing to Alexander, who now blushed, making Ptolemy and Waver laugh. Alexander elbowed Hephaestion.

"Alright, alright you lazy bums, enough chit-chat. Break time is over, back to work!", ordered Alexander.

The prince turned his back to them and whistled loudly. After a few seconds, a horse of monumental size came galloping towards Alexander. The majestic beast stopped right before his master, and Waver could appreciate its velvety black coat. He felt very compelled to touch it, but immediately regretted it when he considered its size.

Alexander received the beast with opened arms, and the horse cuddled him passionately while the prince giggled.

"This is Bucephalus, my best friend", he said as he stroked the horse's forehead, the only spot that was not black. "He has been by my side for many years."

Waver knew exactly what horse that was. He had ridden the legendary Bucephalus before, many times. He even remembered reading about it in school. Still, he asked the question.

"I assume… there is a story behind it?". Waver pretended to be interested. The prince looked so eager to tell his story that Waver did not dare to ignore him.

"You guess correctly!" Alexander said, his eyes glowing, wide opened

"Here we go…" Ptolemy rolled his eyes

"Come on, it's a good story", said Hephaestion, cheerful

"One that we've heard many times. He just brags about it every opportunity he has, just to impress"

"That's mean, Ptolemy." Alexander laughed. "Bucephalus was brought to my father by a horse merchant as a rare and valuable good, an untamable horse. The king turned it down right away, he was not interested in a horse that couldn't be mounted, but I was immediately stunned by its beauty."

"Alexander was concerned about the horse more than anything", interrupted Hephaestion. "He felt sorry for him because he noticed that the horse was scared."

"He is a softie, after all", added Ptolemy

"I was around 12 then, of course I felt bad for him", said Alexander, slightly embarrassed. "So, I told king Phillip that I would buy the horse, and I bet the merchant that I would be able to mount him. He said if I did, he would give it to me as a gift. And so, I did"

"But how?", asked Waver.

"The way the horse was moving around was as if he was scared of something. Not people, but something else. So then I noticed something. The sun was up, bright and warm, casting a huge shadow under the horse's feet. Such was the cause of his fear and misery."

"Then kindly, Prince Charming here," continued Hephaestion, wrapping his arm around Alexander's neck, "he walked slowly to Bucephalus and whispered to him... to a horse -we all thought he was losing his mind-"

"He whispered to him; 'don't be afraid, it is nothing but a trick of Apollo'. And made the horse turn towards the sun, so he was unable to see his own shadow anymore", added Ptolemy. "Well, at least that's the story he tells."

"I did say that," confirmed Alexander, slightly annoyed. "Anyway, since then, me and Bucephalus had a special bond. We've never been apart, not for one day." He smiled as he rested his forehead on the animal's.

A moment later, he climbed on the massive beast's back, and all of a sudden he grabbed Waver by his robe, lifting him in he air.

"W-what are you doing?!" Waver asked, surprised. His feet swinging slightly above the ground.

Alexander easily lifted him in a quick movement, forcing Waver to sit in front of him. Waver found his balance on the horse and sat up straight, trying to keep his cool, gently holding onto Bucephalus' hair.

Ptolemy and Hephaestion followed them on their own horses.

"He seems pretty comfortable on a horse, I'd say", observed Hephaestion.

"Well, at least he doesn't look scared, if that's what you mean", noted Ptolemy.

"That's because I already know how to ride, you morons", protested Waver.

"Alright, let's see what you've got then"

Alexander moved back and pulled Waver by his waist, dragging him to sit on the saddle.

"Whenever you are ready." Alexander handed him the reins, and held on tight to Waver's waist.

"R-right…"

Waver took a moment to sit comfortably and adjust his feet to the stirrups. He closed his eyes and felt the animal's breath, its rib-cage puffing against his legs. He shook the reins and with a short, loud neigh Bucephalus rushed straight ahead at full speed.

Ptolemy and Hephaestion looked at each other, raising their eyebrows, and then followed them.

Waver rode across the training grounds, through the palace's gates and into the city. He avoided the crowds as much as he could. A shock of adrenaline hit him every time he had to jump over a barrel, or quickly dribble on a corner to avoid hitting somebody.

"This is fun!" Alexander laughed, taking over the reins to direct them into another route.

"Wait! Alexander what are you doing?!" Waver held Alexander's hands, too scared of not being in control anymore.

They hit the busy streets of the market. Waver took the reins back again and directed Bucephalus into an alley. He pulled from the reins trying to stop, but the horse was still galloping at full speed. At the end of the alley, they the rode right into a bridge rising over a canal. A wagon loaded with goods passed slowly and carefully through the bridge.

"Alexander, make him stop!" Waver cried, just a few meters away from the wagon.

"Why!? You are doing fine!" The prince said. "If you are scared, you can close your eyes."

Alexander covered Waver's eyes with his hands.

"Oi! ARE YOU CRAZY?! What are you…?!" Complained Waver, his hands still on the reins.

"Just keep riding!" encouraged him the prince.

Waver's heart rushed. He was terrified, yet at the same time inexplicably exited.

A second later, he felt how Bucephalus kicked the ground, launching them up in the air. Alexander uncovered Waver's eyes and held on to his waist again. Waver looked down for a second, dazzled, unable to believe they just flew above the wagon.

Then came the panic. He was certain they were going to hit the ground hard. The landing was as harsh on his lower body as Waver imagined, but Bucephalus did not stop there. Neither did he. Waver was now laughing hysterically, both out of fear and excitement. A sudden frenzy took over him, enjoying the feeling of the speed, and suddenly the wind against his face was the only feeling he could ever want in the world.

They kept riding out of the city and into the forest, followed by Ptolemy and Hephaestion.

"Here," said Alexander holding Waver's hands, "let's stop here for a bit." He pulled the reins and Bucephalus stopped abruptly. It was so sudden that Waver almost fell forward. Alexander jumped off.

"Would you mind giving a little warning next time you plan to do that?" Waver said, getting off the horse with difficulty. Alexander smiled and took his hand to help him.

Ptolemy and Hephaestion came just a few seconds later.

"Who would have guessed," said Ptolemy, "Waver Velvet, you are completely nuts."

"Thank you?... I guess?"

"But honestly, it seems you were telling the truth when you said you knew how to ride", observed Hephaestion.

"Yeah, seriously. Who taught him how to ride?" Wondered Alexander

"You did, you idiot…" muttered Waver, thinking out loud

"What?" The prince turned to him

"Uh- Nothing…" Waver looked away, changing subjects. "Anyway, shouldn't we head back to the palace?"

"The mage is right", said Ptolemy. His thick, brown eyebrows frowning at Alexander. "You don't happen to be doing this just to get away from your duties again, Alexandros, are you?" The tall young man stood even taller, threatening the prince with his fists.

"Huh? D-duties? What duties? Oh! no, of course not" Lied Alexander, turning his back to him.

Ptolemy pulled Alexander's braid. "Alexandros…?"

Hephaestion sighed.

"And once again, he drags us into trouble. Now Olympias is going to scold us. All of us. Even you Waver"

Waver winced at the thought of it, while Alexander somehow managed to get away from Ptolemy.

"No, no! Listen, I told my mother that I would use the morning to train new soldiers. Which is…what we are doing right now... Kinda…" Alexander rubbed his neck, not fully convinced of his own words. "Well, one soldier is still a soldier, so…"

The three young men gave him a deadly glare.

"The sooner we start the earlier we will be back!… Ptolemy, did you bring it?"

Ptolemy threw Alexander a bow and arrow quiver.

"What is that for?" Asked Waver, impatient.

"Hunting", replied Alexander, naturally.

"No. No, I'm not doing that", Waver scoffed, "Absolutely no way…"

Ptolemy handed Hephaestion another bow and quiver, and then equipped one himself.

"Oh, don't worry. We will do the hunting. You will be the one being hunted."

"Right, I... wait, I will WHAT?!" Yelled Waver, suddenly alarmed.

"You" said Alexander with a smile as he pulled from his bow, pointing an arrow at Waver, "will have to run fast, and learn how to hide in the woods."

"Are you insane?! How…how can…why would…but you…"

Alexander let his arrow loose. Waver quickly ducked, and the arrow slightly touched his head. A lock of his silky, black hair fell off.

"Nice dodging!" Alexander clapped, genuinely entertained.

"Are you stupid or what?!" Cried Waver.

Now Ptolemy and Hephaestion pointed an arrow at him

"Sorry Waver," said Ptolemy, shrugging, "Prince's orders"

"We'll be gentle", added Hephaestion, "well…we'll try"

"You fools! You have no idea you are facing! I am Waver Velvet, student council member of the Clock Tower...! you will pay for this!" Waver screamed as he ran away into the forest, followed by the three soldiers.

Two hours later, Waver and the rest rode back into the palace.

"Come on Waver, you are not mad at him still, are you?" Ptolemy asked. "You know he is just doing this to help you, to make you stronger."

He looked over his shoulder to see the mage's reaction. He had been riding with Ptolemy in silence all the way back to the palace, far away from Alexander. He had refused to ride with the prince, and the prince was too afraid to insist him.

"I'm not mad. I just don't want to talk to him…"

He was trying his best not to look in the prince's direction, but a sudden noise made him look his way. The two other horses dashed down the mountain, their riders raced to get first into the city. Waver watched in silence how Alexander and Hephaestion rode away.

"They've always been like this" Ptolemy said. "Always competing against each other. Ever since we were kids. One time they argued over who could hold going to the bathroom for longer. They both ended up peeing their pants. That's how stupid they can be"

He rolled his eyes, Waver chuckled.

"They are always arguing and fighting, but in the end, they always make up." Ptolemy paused for a moment to look at Waver "…because they are friends".

He turned and smiled, then he whistled to his horse, and it sped up the pace.

Waver took a few seconds to process Ptolemy's words, and wondered what he was trying to imply. He continued the rest of the way in silence, thoughtful.

When they arrived at the city gates, there was a small crowd gathered around the entrance. They got off the horse, and when they came closer, they could see Alexander and Hephaestion fighting.

"That was cheating!" Yelled Alexander from on top of Hephaestion, punching his face.

"No, it wasn't. I told you, it's called strategy…" Hephaestion blocked Alexander fists with his hands "…just because you can't understand it doesn't mean it's cheating"

Hephaestion lifted his legs under Alexander, throwing him in the air and making him land on his back. Then Hephaestion let all his weight fall onto Alexander -much smaller in size-. The prince now groaned in pain.

Their audience gasped.

"Alright, show is over" Ptolemy jumped in from the crowd. "I can't leave you alone for five minutes without getting into a fight."

"Ptolemy, I… I forbid you to intervene! That…is an order!" shouted Alexander, panting, while trying to get Hephaestion off him.

Ptolemy ignored him and walked towards them, pulling Hephaestion away and giving him a smack on the head. He immediately fell unconscious in the tall man's arms.

A second later, Ptolemy felt a kick on his shoulder, making him drop the man he was carrying. Alexander had aimed to kick his head, but forgetting the big height difference between them.

Ptolemy turned to him, his face red in anger.

"Was that supposed to hurt?" he mocked him, still trying to control his temper

Alexander could tell he was containing his anger by the veins popping from his forehead. Even so, he was so pissed he didn't care to provoke him.

"I told you to stay out of this, you imbecilic baboon!"

Ptolemy smirked, opening his huge hands, and with a long swipe he knocked Alexander down. When he was going for the second strike, this time Hephaestion came from behind him and climbed onto his back, chocking him with his arms.

"He told you to stay out of this, you imbecilic baboon!"

The fight went on between the three, and Waver stood there between the crowd watching them beat each other, hoping nobody figured he was with them_. "What a bunch of clowns…" _he thought as he brought a palm to his face, shaking his head.

A sudden sound of a blowing horn made the three of them stop all at once. A herd of nearly 20 mounted armed guards rode towards the crowd, forcing the people to spread around. The prince and his friends were surrounded.

"Prince Alexandros", spoke the head of the guards, a thin, anxious-looking little man. Waver recalled seeing him before, during the feast, joining his conversation with Parmenion.

"Orestys" Alexander got on his feet to greet him.

"You have been requested to attend a small council meeting with the King."

The other two soldiers got on their feet at the same time.

"You two as well, lord Ptolemy, lord Hephaestion."

The blonde and the tall men looked at each other and shrugged. They all begun to slowly advance towards the palace, still surrounded by the horses. All except Alexander.

"Waver!", he shouted, looking for him among the riders.

Waver appeared behind a horse, and made his way through the guards, getting stuck between two of them.

"You are coming with us." Alexander smiled, reaching for his had. Waver took it, and Alexander pulled him close to his side. All of them now marched at a slow pace into the palace.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to bring me with you?" Whispered Waver to his ear.

"It's fine" Alexander whispered back. "Besides, it's about time I officially introduce you as our new physician apprentice."

Waver gulped and kept walking in silence.

When they arrived at the council meeting, there was no sign of any council meeting. It was just King Phillip sitting on the throne. His personal guard, Orestys, followed them into the meeting, standing right by the King's side.

"My King", saluted Alexander, solemnly, as he stood before him

Waver was shocked by such a formal interaction between father and son. It was the first time he saw them interact, after all.

"King Phillip" Ptolemy and Hephaestion greeted in unison.

"Y-your grace!" Said Waver, vowing with clumsiness.

The King chuckled.

"Stand up boy, you are not a horse." The harshness of his words was slightly soothed by the softness of his face and the warmth of this tone.

Hephaestion and Ptolemy giggled, and Waver stood tall, embarrassed. As still as a statue.

"Who is this?" The King turned to Alexander, scowling in confusion. "I thought I requested you three to come here for a private meeting?"

"Father, this is Waver Velvet, from the kingdom of…London"

"England…" Corrected Waver

"Waver Velvet, from the kingdom of England. He is my new physician"

"Physician?" The king wondered, "He looks quite… young to be a physician. What's wrong with my old physician."

"He is old…"

"Well, yes. Old means wise…"

"But this one…" Alexander pointed at Waver, grinning, "…is a powerful mage."

"Oh" The King's eyebrows raised. "Mage, you say. Is that true, boy?"

"Y-yes, your grace." Waver replied.

The king studied Waver's anxious expression. He thought he looked week and insecure. He did not like his son, the future king, to be surrounded by that type of people. He hesitated for a moment, but then decided to pay no attention to it. His son would get bored of him eventually anyway, like the prince did with many other distractions he'd had in the past.

"Fine, then", he said, indifferent. "I have summoned you here to instruct you in your first official royal mission…"

Alexander's eyes shone with excitement

"…your first mission as a diplomat."

His smile was wiped away in an instant.

"Huh?"

"Can't you make a smarter face?" The king joked, and Ptolemy and Hephaestion had to tighten their lips not lo laugh. The King then spoke seriously.

"Listen, Alexandros, this is some serious business. I am trusting you, my son, the first Prince, with it."

Alexander now stood tall and listened carefully.

"There are some lords that are not happy with the kingdom. Ambitious, selfish lords who wish to obtain more lands and riches, putting their greed before the kingdom's needs. I've received news about rumors of plotting against me, against the kingdom."

The four young men gasped.

"But father, the lords have always been loyal to you. I cannot imagine this to be true. Perhaps…perhaps is the war that is making them deviate from their duties to the kingdom. The war troubles everyone, it changes people. If you could consider maybe…maybe stopping this war… a truce. Surely, if you talk to them, they will…"

"This war", interrupted Phillip "is necessary. We have no other option but to keep fighting until we win. It is their duty as lords to send soldiers and food to protect their kingdom and their people from the Persians. And it is my duty to ensure they do so. So is yours, as their Prince. Do not forget your place, Alexandros. It is not I who decided to go start this war, remember that. And I will never fight a war that is not necessary nor fair."

Alexandros swallowed his words, clenching his fists and looking at his feet.

"Whoever is plotting to kill your father, must have an informant within the council", continued Orestys

"What?"

"The rumors have spread fast among the council members. There is information that some of the lords could not have possibly obtain without having an ally within the council"

"A spy", observed Hephaestion.

"Is that why you called us privately, your grace?" Asked Ptolemy

"Correct. I need both of your skills and strength for this. Alexandros, you have shown to be an avid philosophy enthusiastic, with the charisma to win over your adversary's sympathy. I need you to use your best debating skills to negotiate with these lords"

He turned to Ptolemy

"As for you, Ptolemy, I trust your observation skills to be able to investigate the matter deeply, and find out who is plotting against us and how to stop them"

"Yes, your grace." Both nodded

"Hephaestion, once again I'm relying on your strength and fighting skills to protect them."

"Always, your grace." The blonde warrior smiled.

"And… I guess you can take the boy, uh…"

"Waver, your grace", added Waver

"Yes, you can take Waver with you too." The King did not try to hide the hesitation in his voice. "A mage could come quite handy in these situations… I suppose."

"Yes!" Waver said, bringing his hand to his forehead in an army style salutation.

The King gave him a polite smile he could not hold longer than a second. _"What's with him?"_ He thought, looking at Waver with suspicious eyes _"I hope I'm not making a mistake here…"._

"So, what is our mission exactly?" Asked Ptolemy

"Orestys…" The king extended his hand, his palm facing the ceiling, and the guard handed him over two rolls of papyrus.

"Each one of these contain a message that will be the clue to discover who the traitor is. For your mission to succeed you must not, by any means or circumstances, open them."

Alexander slightly frowned at his father's words.

"Alexandros, as the future King, I am trusting you with these. It is extremely important that you do not open them, and deliver them as they are. Without this seal it will lose its value, and the mission will no longer can be fulfilled. You must do whatever it takes."

"I will, your grace", replied the prince in a sharp tone. He turned around and left the room in haste. The other three quickly excused themselves with the king and ran after him.

The king and his guard watched them as they exited the room.

"That was slightly cruel, your grace." Orestys opened his eyes wide and raised his eyebrows, smiling.

"He will get over it. It'll be good for him. He will be king one day."

"Alexander, wait" Waver said, trying to catch him.

"We leave in an hour" The prince replied, stopping. Hephaestion and Ptolemy catching up. "Waver, ask the servants to get the horses ready"

"Oh!" Ptolemy's jaw suddenly dropped. "I forgot I have something important to do! I…I'll be right back!" He said, leaving in haste.

"I'll go talk to the servants", said Hephaestion, tapping Waver on the shoulder and leaving.

Alexander kept walking, Waver followed him.

"Alexander, are you alright? You seem a little…tense"

Alexander's fists tighten against the letters he was still holding, trying his best not to crush them in his hands.

"I'll show him…" He thought out loud "I'll succeed, and when I do, he will have to trust me then…"

Waver said nothing, but he understood how the prince must have felt.

_"He thinks the king, no, his father, doesn't trust him enough to tell him what's in that letter"_, he assumed. "_But he will not complain to him or to anybody, he will just confront it and do something about it. That is the kind of person he is."_ Waver believed it somehow admirable of him, although he was not eager to deal with the Prince's mood for the rest of the journey.

An hour after, Hephaestion and Alexander showed up at Waver's room, ready to leave.

"Where's Ptolemy?" The mage asked

"He was supposed to meet us here" Hephaestion said

"That idiot… he is probably gambling again. We'll have to go fetch him", Alexander said, grumpy.

They crossed through the gardens towards the palace entrance. Just before they got the gate, Waver noticed there were two people talking by the fountain, almost whispering. They were far away, but he recognized Ptolemy's long, dark hair and his tanned skin contrasting with the glow of his silver armor. He could not see the girl's face from that angle, for it was covered behind her long, red curls.

Waver opened his arms violently to stop Alexander, making Hephaestion trip with him and stop too.

"What?"

"Shh!" Waver shushed them, and dragged Alexander behind a bush. Hephaestion followed them.

"What are we doing?" Hephaestion whispered

"Look, it's Ptolemy" Waver pointed

"Is that Cleo?!" Hephaestion asked

Waver turned to Alexander, waiting to see his reaction.

Alexander did not look surprised. Instead, he grinned and then crawled towards the next bush.

"Let's get closer", the price said, curious to hear what was going on.

The other two followed him.

They three got as close as they could, but still they couldn't hear Ptolemy and Cleo. Their words were swallowed by the murmur of the water. They chatted lively, although they barely looked into each others' eyes.

"Damn it, I can't hear a thing", complained Alexander from behind the closest bush.

"Shh, keep still, you are shaking the bush too much, he is going to find us", said Hephaestion, lying on his stomach by his side.

"Stop moving Alexander, your knee is burying into my ribs", said Waver from in between the two of them.

"Sorry, that would be my knee", admitted Hephaestion, although he didn't move an inch.

Ptolemy now came closer to the girl, and she extended her hand to give him something. He held her hand for a long minute, and their eyes found each other.

The three men observed impatiently from behind the bush. Waver turned to Alexander, who had just elbowed him in the face. Waver observed Alexander's intrigued expression. He could swear he saw a rosy glow on his cheeks. Alexander could feel Waver's eyes on him. He turn to Waver for a brief second, then quickly looked back at his sister and Ptolemy.

"What?" Alexander asked, the red from his cheeks now growing brighter.

"Nothing" Waver fixed his eyes on Ptolemy again, and noticed he was now standing there by himself.

"We missed it!" Said Alexander, shaking Waver's head

"Ouch, stop it, you are squishing me again"

Ptolemy, who could now hear them clearly, was standing with his arms crossed against his chest, irritated.

"Are you done already?" The tall man finally said

Alexander, Waver and Hephaestion got on their feet immediately. A shameful smile was their only reaction.

"We…we were looking for you", said Hephaestion, who was not used to sneaking around, smiling nervously

"Well, you found me"

"Did you take care of that _important thing_ you had to do?" Asked Alexander with a wide smile.

Ptolemy looked away, his bronzed cheeks slightly letting some red show.

Alexander tilted his head to see Ptolemy's face, his hands behind his back, bouncing back and forth in a childish way.

"Ahem", Ptolemy coughed, "isn't it time for us to go already?"

Alexander giggled. "Alright then, all set, let's go!"


	8. The Prince's Duty - II -

**Chapter 8: The Prince's Duty – Part II –**

"Couldn't we just go through the plains?"

"No, Hephaestion, for the twentieth time, we cannot." Ptolemy replied, annoyed, riding by his side. "Not unless you want to run into the Persians"

"But we are way faster than the Persians! I'm sure it'll be fine! Ugh… we would have been there already…"

"Only a couple more hours", cheered him Alexander, who rode behind him.

The City of Olynthus was almost a two-days ride away. Alexander, Waver, Ptolemy and Hephaestion took the long way through the mountains.

Hephaestion's stomach grumbled.

"We've been riding for hours…I'm so hungry," he cried.

"That's because you didn't eat before we left", said Alexander. "Here, stop whining, you big baby."

The prince took a satchel he was carrying, and threw it to Hephaestion.

He caught it, sighing when he opened it.

"I want real food", he said, looking at the olives with disappointment.

"Hunger I can cope with", said Ptolemy, "but I can no longer feel my butt. That is a bigger issue. Don't you agree, Waver?"

Waver's, who had not been listening to their conversation for a long while, had his full attention into the forest. He rode silently, trying to hear if anyone was nearby.

"Although Waver doesn't have much of a butt to start with, anyway", joked Ptolemy to get Waver's attention.

Waver did not pay attention to his joke. He had the feeling someone was watching them for a while, but he did not want to worry the rest for nothing, not until he was sure it was not just a feeling.

A branch cracked, and Waver could not help jumping. It brought him back the memory of the encounter with the abominable creature, Zurvan. That night in the palace gardens, when he saw the stranger in the hooded cloak. All the images from that night flashed before his eyes in that instant. He was overcome with fear again.

Waver was shaking on his horse, horrified, hesitant to tell the others about his suspicion of being followed. It had been three weeks since that happened, but he only had the chance to tell Alexander a few days ago. He recalled their conversation that day:

"I understand", said Alexander, after listening to Waver's story. His reaction was unexpectedly calm and thoughtful

"So, you believe me?" Asked Waver, surprised

"Of course I do" Alexander frowned, confused, "Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know…Attalus didn't believe me…"

"Attalus…He is a man of science. He wouldn't believe anything that is not understandable by the laws sciences, or by what the gods "whisper" to him", he said in a mocking tone.

"Still, I could have died…"

"Waver," Alexander's expression became suddenly serious, "that thing will not harm you again, we won't let it."

"I'm not scared", lied Waver, perhaps to himself.

"You should be, if you are as smart as I think you are. I am quite scared, frankly. Dealing with the unknown is scary. We should be careful."

Waver gulped.

"You should not tell anyone else about this. Not until we know what we are dealing with. We can't discard for sure that this thing is not working for the Persians. It might be just a trick, a spy. The enemy might have sneaked among the council already. We must learn who to trust first. Until then, the secret must remain between the two of us. Understood?"

"Y-yes"

Waver's mind stopped wandering between his memories, and suddenly realized he was riding in the middle of the night through the forest.

"Waver?" Ptolemy called for him, now slightly worried

"Yeah?" Waver replied, distracted

"I think we should take a break," suggested Alexander, "even Waver looks worn out"

"It's only because you want to stop and eat too, isn't it?" Asked Hephaestion, cheeky

"A prince's duty is to look after his subjects' well being", he said, getting off his horse. The other three imitated him, and they all settled for camping there that night.

Alexander collected some wood while Waver tied the horses and gave them water. Ptolemy kept guard, and Hephaestion started a fire to prepare dinner.

"Haaa!" Hephaestion slurped the rabbit stew he had just finished cooking. "Real food at last."

"I must admit, it's quite good," said Ptolemy

"Waver, you haven't touched your food", observed Alexander, concerned

"Huh?" Waver turned to them, spaced out. "S-sorry! I'm just a bit tired that's all", he said, taking several spoons of his stew at a time. He stopped for a second to appreciate the flavor.

"Wow, it is actually pretty good, indeed" Waver agreed

Hephaestion smiled, flattered.

"Hephaestion has always been the cook. Sadly, neither Alexander nor me learned from him. He is the cook, I'm the brains and Alexander is the pretty one". Ptolemy joked. Alexander gave him a deadly glare, which Waver found even funnier.

"You will make a good wife," said Alexander, patting Hephaestion's back, who was serving himself some more stew.

"And you will make a good idiot," he replied, throwing some stew to him, but he missed. "Perhaps you'll want to take me as your wife? That will make me a queen. I wouldn't mind being a queen. I could have stew everyday."

"I don't know about being a queen, but I wouldn't mind marrying one…" thought Ptolemy out loud

"And that would make you what?" Alexander turned to Ptolemy. "My brother _and_ my brother in law at the same time?

"Stop with your nonsense" Ptolemy said, slurping his stew

"For your information, where I come from -as in many other places- cooking is no longer associated to a gender role…That's absurd, cooking is a basic need for-"

Waver stopped and took a moment to analyze Alexander's words echoing in his mind.

"Wait…what?!" Yelled Waver, confused. "Did- did you just say "brothers"?! How…what?!"

Ptolemy sighed

"See what you did? You are confusing him. Stop saying those things please."

Alexander laughed, and Waver looked at Ptolemy with eyes wide opened. Now that he thought about it, the king treated the three friends equally. He had trusted Ptolemy with great part of this important mission, and Hephaestion to be part of it. Were they all siblings? But then… wasn't Ptolemy older? Shouldn't he be the heir to the throne? Waver wondered about all these things, but most importantly…

"But if he is your brother, then Cleo…"

"I'm not", Ptolemy said, slightly irritated. "We are not siblings. Well, not really", he said, taking a bite from his stew.

"The three of us grew up together", clarified Hephaestion. "Alexandros and I have trained together all our lives. My father was a nobleman, friends with the king. Ever since my father died I've lived in the palace with them. Then one day, Ptolemy came to us…", he said with a smile.

There was an awkward silence. Waver knew this was a very personal subject. He wondered if the did the right thing by asking. Alexander wanted to explain some more, but he waited for Ptolemy to talk by himself.

"I was around 10, just two years older than them," finally said Ptolemy, still eating his stew. "My mother was one of king Phillip's wives' sister. Both my parents died, and I had no where to go. My aunt took me in as her son, and so did the king. He has always been like a father to me."

"And he has always seen you as his son", said Alexander, "and I as my brother."

Although Ptolemy knew this in his heart and felt the same way, he had a hard time when talking about it. He became quite emotional every time Alexander brought it up.

Ptolemy put his bowl down, and slowly turned to Alexander. He rubbed his head harshly, shaking the prince violently from side to side.

"Ah!" Alexander complained. "W-what was that for!?"

Ptolemy sat and finished his stew in silence, while Waver and Hephaestion chuckled.

They all finished their food, Waver offered to wash the bowls. They took turns to keep guard. Hephaestion was the first one. Ptolemy and Alexander were already asleep when Waver lied by their side.

He closed his eyes, but something was bothering him. The didn't notice the temperature had suddenly dropped so much. He looked around for something to cover himself with, but there was nothing. Watched how Ptolemy and Alexander slept so soundly, and wandered how they didn't feel cold. He rubbed his own arms, trying to warm up, and then stared at the space between him and Alexander. He imagined how warm the prince must have been, and frowned at this thought_. Oh, fuck it, _he thought. He stared at Alexander's peaceful expression, making sure he was asleep, and then threw away all his pride to curl up close to him. He was too cold and tired to care about his pride, and the prince's body warmth was too pleasing. He tried to make himself comfortable on the rough ground, touching Alexander's leg with his own by accident. He looked at Alexander's face, who had been awake the whole time and was now looking directly at Waver.

"What are you doing?" Alexander asked

"I- I was… I just…"

"If you are _cold_ you can just tell me, you don't have to be so proud", he said, sitting up and taking off his cape to give it to Waver. "Here, take it. You are not from here, so it's only normal for you to take some time to adjust to the climate"

"I'm fine!" Waver said, turning his back at him and closing his eyes. He felt the weight of Alexander's cape over him.

Waver woke up in the middle of the night when Hephaestion and Ptolemy did the change of guard. He opened one eye and watched Ptolemy walk away, annoyed. It took him long to fall asleep, and now it he was probably going to be up for the rest of the night. He tried his best to go to sleep again, but Ptolemy returned right away making noise. _He must have forgotten something_, Waver thought as he listened to how Ptolemy looked for something in between the pots and bowls.

"Hey Ptolemy, cut it out I'm trying to sleep here," Waver whispered loudly, now sitting up. "What are you-"

Nobody was there. He looked around. Alexander slept by his side. A few meters father, Hephaestion was already fast asleep.

"What happened?" Ptolemy suddenly came from behind a tree, whispering

"Very funny. Now can I go back to sleep?"

"Uhh… sure", Ptolemy scowled at Waver's back, puzzled, and walked back into the woods.

Waver closed his eyes once again.

"Waver"

A deep, underground voice whispered his name.

Waver jumped but fought the need to open his eyes. _It's fine, it's nothing…_ he tried convinced himself, but his mind was playing tricks on him, giving into fear. There in the middle of the night, in the darkness and silence of the forest, he could not fight his thoughts. He opened his eyes, and he swear he could see a shadow running through the trees. The same feeling he had hours ago. Someone was watching him. He turned around to make sure that Alexander was still there. That made him feel somehow more at ease. _Everything is fine, it is all in your mind_… he kept repeating. His eyes now forcefully closed.

Then it happened. Again, he could hear it, loud and clear. The sound of footsteps cracking the branches, walking towards him. Something evil was coming to get him, it was there, right in front of him. He wanted to open his eyes, he really wanted to, but he was petrified. He shut his eyes tight, as if by keeping them closed the evil would go away.

And it did. It went away. His mind wasn't as weak as he thought, maybe. He opened his eyes. Nothing. Just the trees and the campfire, making the wood chip crack from time to time. One last time he turned to Alexander.

"Waver…"

The deep voice of the creature was the last thing Waver heard before his sight faded to black.


	9. Fear

**Chapter 9 – Fear**

Waver found himself in a small, dark room. Torches lit around him. _What was I doing?_ He thinks, unable to recall where he was just a moment ago. Disoriented, he looks around. A strange feeling of dejavu, a claustrophobia that becomes too familiar.

Strong gust puts the fire out and the empty room is now surrounded by silence. A soft light flashed before his eyes, just before everything turned pitch-black. His legs became week, numb. He felt a hand on his shoulder. His stomach tightened; his body shivered. He stepped forward, hands reaching out in the darkness, fingers shaking, wiggling in the air desperately searching for a wall. One, two, three steps. Faster each time. He could feel the weight of the creature over his shoulders. _It's not real_, he told himself. _Its just a dream. It's not real_. But the harder he tried to ignore the fear, the greater the feeling in his guts grew. The creature now squeezes Waver's shoulder and he panics. He runs in circles. But the creature does not let go. With a sudden, violent movement, Waver is lifted in mid air, his face flat against the ceiling in a single second. He tried to scream but his mouth was shut, and a muffled scream struggled to find its way out his throat. The creature held him there against the ceiling, tearing his flesh as Waver struggled, useless, helpless. He groaned and sobbed until he could no longer feel anything…

Just before he thought he would vanish, a guttural sound finally emerged from Waver's throat, letting out a monstrous scream. He opened his eyes, panting heavily.

_It was a dream_, he realized, _nothing but a terrible, horrible nightmare…_

_But it felt so real…_

The flames of the campfire still lit up the forest. Alexander and the rest lying next to him. Waver crawled to the prince's side and shook him a little to wake him up.

"Alexander" He whispered. There was no response.

"Alexander wake up! Alexan-"

He felt a cold hand on his back. Bony fingers slowly wrapping around his neck. Paralyzed by fear, too afraid to turn around, he glanced down at Alexander again. This time the prince rolled to the side, facing him. Black blood pouring from his mouth, dead eyes staring at him. His face disfigured by horror, screaming his lungs out.

"Waver!" Alexander's voice called for him

The mage sat up, sweating and panting.

"No! Not again! Make it stop!" He yelled in despair "I want to wake up, I want to wake up!"

Waver rolled on the ground holding his head, sobbing.

Alexander struggled to hold him down.

"Waver, Waver!" Alexander gave him soft slap on the cheek, which made him look at him for a second "hey, hey… It's ok! Everything is fine"

Waver sat, still panting, and looked around. Ptolemy and Hephaestion were sleeping next to him. He looked at Alexander again, making sure he was still there and alive.

"You scared me". Alexander was looking at him with concern, his hands still grabbing onto Waver's shoulders. "You were moaning and twitching. I shook you several times, but you wouldn't wake up."

Waver was still out of breath, speechless, eyes wide open staring at the prince. Alexander had never seen him so helpless.

"Waver…"

The mage took one last deep breath, then closed his eyes, resting his hands on Alexander's. The prince could feel Waver's hands shaking against his own.

"Is it… is it that creature again?" Alexander asked carefully.

Waver nodded; his eyes still closed.

"It's OK, it was just a dream. You are safe now"

"But it felt so…real" Waver finally spoke.

Alexander sighed "I can imagine. But it was just a dream."

"Yeah…" Waver sighed, slowly starting to relax. But a sudden pain on his neck and chest made him frown again.

"Ouch" He complained, bringing a hand to his neck, rubbing it to calm the burning feeling.

"What's wrong?" Alexander asked. His eyebrows rising more and more as he observed a grey mark appear on Waver's neck. A mark with the shape of a hand.

Waver read his face.

"What? What is it?" he asked, rubbing his neck. He moved his robes to the side to try and see, confirming what he feared. The grey mark had expanded up to his shoulder.

"It was real…" Waver's voice shook, his heartbeat rising again. "…Oh god… it was real. He is here". Waver looked around in panic.

"Waver! Waver, look at me!" Alexander held him down by the shoulders, preventing him from running away. He cupped his face forcing him to look into his eyes. Waver gazed at him, quickly turning back to his senses, although still shaking.

"Waver, listen to me. I will not let it harm you. Do you understand?I will not let it touch you." Waver gulped and nodded, only half convinced.

Alexander waited another moment to observe Waver's reaction. Once he was certain he would not run away, he went for his cape and threw it over Waver's shoulders.

"You should get some rest, we have a long day ahead of us", the prince suggested.

They both lied down for another hour, before the dawn.

Waver did not sleep for another second. He watched the fire until it turned into ashes, lying there until the first rays of sunlight sneaked in through the trees.


	10. The Allied Kingdom

**Chapter 10 – The Allied Kingdom**

The prince and his men arrived in the city of Olynthus before noon. A small cloud of seagulls hovered over the city gates; a pleasant sea breeze blew even beyond the walls. It was a small yet rich city. Crowded, but not as loud and lively as Pella. No welcoming ceremony awaiting for the prince and his party.

At the palace entrance two guards stopped Alexander and his companions.

The prince showed the two rolls of papyrus his father had given him to deliver. One of the guards reached for them, but Alexander snatched it out of his hand right away. The guard frowned at him, going after the letter again. Alexander dodged him one more time.

"Hey! You think you are funny?" The guard yelled. Alexander didn't move.

"Not the slightest bit. This is no joke, my father entrusted me with this message. Me and no one else"

The other guard elbowed the first one.

"It has the king's seal", he whispered.

The angry guard looked at Alexander, taking some time to process that the young boy before him was the prince of Pella, heir to the throne.

"P-Pardon me, my prince". He finally said, lowering his lance and letting them through into the palace.

The others followed behind.

"You could have just spoken right away, you know?", said Waver.

"I know," said Alexander, "But I wanted to see how these people welcome strangers into their city. And I've learned a lot from it."

"That… and you just enjoy teasing people", observed Ptolemy.

Alexander's smile was wiped off as soon as another two men came to meet them. He recognized the lord of Olynthus followed by another man. He had a vague memory from his childhood meeting him. But he recalled two old men as lords of the city.

"It looks like it's not going to get any better from here…", he muttered.

Waver studied the two men. The oldest, a small, smart-looking old man. The other one, young and good-looking. Both dressed in extravagant, colorful robes and golden jewellery. Nothing like the warrior-like costumes of the people in Pella. It was with no doubt a city ran by merchants.

"Welcome, my lord". The old nobleman greeted them politely. He turned to the other man by his side. "This is lord Irus, I believe you met his father in the past. Unfortunately, he has passed away, leaving the young lord as the head of his family".

"I am sorry to hear that", said Alexander with honesty. "It is a pleasure to meet you".

"It is an honour to have you here with us, Prince Alexandros", the young man said, lacking as much enthusiasm as the first one.

"It is my honor to experience such a delightful view of the peninsula". Replied Alexander.

"I suppose you are not here only for the view, sir", inquired the old man, straight to the point.

Waver turned to Alexander. He thought it rude of him, but Alexander did not look offended. In fact, he was smiling.

"Correct", Alexander said. "I am here to make some adjustments".

"What kind of… adjustments?" The young lord crossed his arms, skeptical.

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I would never interfere with your political affairs. I'm here to merely instruct you in the new trading routes and taxes designed by my father to maximize our economy and make this commonwealth more beneficial for every kingdom in the empire. I expect to learn one or two things from your vast and prosperous system as well".

The two men looked at each other, slightly hesitant.

"Surely you must be tired, sir. Why don't we discuss this tomorrow after you get some rest from your journey?"

"I appreciate your kindness," thanked him Alexander, and the four men were taken to their respective rooms.

Waver and Ptolemy's rooms where on the east side of the palace, while Hephaestion's was all the way to the west. Alexander was placed in the central part of the palace, close to the noble families' rooms.

"They are trying to keep us separate", observed Ptolemy later that afternoon, once they all gathered at Hephaestion's room.

"Of course they would. They are too precautious," said Alexander, "which only makes them more suspicious. If they haven't done anything wrong, they shouldn't have anything to fear."

"Alright, if they want to separate us, they can have it their way", said Ptolemy. "Hephaestion, come with me. We'll skip the feast and we'll go investigate while everyone is eating."

"B-but…but the feast?" He begun to protest.

"Oh, forgive me, are my plans for saving the kingdom interfering with your dinner?", he replied sarcastically, which Hephaestion found nothing funny.

"I'll go", said Waver, standing between them, "I really don't mind skipping dinner. Besides, I do better at investigating than at social events, anyways."

The two of them turned their backs to each other.

"I don't care who comes with me, as long as we get work done", said Ptolemy. Hephaestion shrugged.

"Wait," joined in Alexander, thoughtful. "It may be too suspicious if two of us are missing. Waver can come with us, and we'll say Ptolemy is not feeling well and that he is staying in his room to rest. Then, after Waver has been seen at the feast, he can sneak out and join you".

Waver nodded in agreement.

So did Ptolemy.

"I'll meet you behind the stables in an hour", he said, and the other three headed out.

Waver, Alexander and Hephaestion entered the great hall in silence. The small crowd chatted discretely, some older men occasionally taking a sip of their wine, but nobody seemed to touch their food yet. Alexander wondered if they were waiting for them.

They joined the two lords at the noblemen's table. Alexander sat across the two lords, and between two young ladies. Hephaestion and Waver found a place at the end of the table.

"What a wonderful feast", lied Alexander, just to be polite.

"I am glad you are enjoying it, my lord", replied the old man.

"Surely you are missing the feasts from Pella. Not as quiet as here, I suppose"

"Not nearly as sophisticated either!" Said the prince, rising his cup.

The old man smiled, rising his cup and cheering.

"I would love to start working right away," continued Alexander, "I should head back home soon. But this is such a great city… I wish I could enjoy the view a little longer. It's been so long since I've been here".

"Do you recall the last time you where here, sir?", asked the younger lord.

"I was just a boy, I believe I was around 10 years old. You daughter was just a little girl". Alexander turned to the girl sitting to his left. "It seems like everything in this city has grown prettier since my last time here".

"I'm not a girl anymore", said the girl, giggling.

"And I'm not a boy", said Alexander.

"Prince Alexandros, I would suggest you take the morning off for a quick tour around the city before you start working", suggested the girl's father.

"I could wish for nothing more". Alexander paused to wipe his mouth, then sighed. "But I am afraid I'll get lost. If only I had the company of a local to show me the wonders that this city has to offer…"

The two men exchanged looks for a moment.

"Well, if it is ok with you, my daughter can walk you through the gardens, and take you around the city," said the older lord.

"I would be delighted!" said the prince, smiling enthusiastically.

He turned to the woman his right, evidently older than him, who looked nothing like her father, but far more beautiful.

"…only if it is the lady's wish to do so…", se smiled gently, begging with his eyes.

"Please, my lord, it will be my pleasure". She smiled back, flattered.

"What is he saying?" Waver watched the prince carefully from the other side of the table, able to listen to only half of the conversation.

"This is good stuff…" Hephaestion mumbled, stuffing his mouth with roasted fish, "really good…"

Waver kicked him under the table.

"What?" Hephaestion shrugged.

"How can you think about food right now?" he whispered.

"Waver, relax. Act normal. That's the best thing to do right now". He said, patting Waver on the shoulder.

"What do you think they are talking about?" Waver asked, his eyes still on Alexander.

Hephaestion gave the prince a quick glance, then looked away, staring at his empty plate in silence. He refilled his plate, ignoring Waver's question.

"You should try this, you don't see seafood this fresh often in Pella, trust me…"

Waver observed Alexander handing over a roll of papyrus to each lord. That was the cue for him to leave the room.

"Shit!" The mage thought out loud. "Has it been an hour already?"

"Go, go, go", whispered Hephaestion, hastily.

"But what should I say?"

Hephaestion put his food down and waited in silence for a second, thinking.

"OH NO!" He suddenly yelled, so loud that it made Waver jump from his seat.

"W-what?"

"Oh, poor Waver! Your stomach, again!?"

"My…what?" Waver looked at him, puzzled.

Hephaestion waved his hands in the air dramatically, pretending to fan away some bad smell.

"It must be the same thing Ptolemy had, poor thing. You should go to bed and rest!"

Everyone at the table turned to Waver. He could feel the blood coming up to his cheeks, turning them a bright shade of red.

"R-right", he played along, getting up from his seat. "Sorry…I- I should go…"

"You'll pay for this_"_, he whispered at Hephaestion's ear as he was leaving.

He left the room in haste, trying to remember the way to the stables. He took the wrong turn and ended up at one of the palace's temples. A statue of Bellerophon riding Pegasus rose in front of him. It was so massive and detailed that he couldn't help to stop to appreciate it from closer.

A second later, he heard some footsteps approaching.

"Shit!" he whispered to himself, hiding behind one of the massive marvel pillars that served as a leg of the winged horse statue.

Waver watched the person walk away in silence. All he could see was a cloak. He panicked for a brief second, thinking of Zurvan. He gasped, and had to bring a hand to his mouth to hold his breath. The person stopped and turned towards statue. Waver could not recognize the man's face in the dark. He could only see the moonlight reflecting the man's long, silver hair. Waver sighed, somehow relieved. He was certainly not the creature the mage feared. He could not feel that threatening aura coming from him.

The man turned again to continue his way.

Waver waited another moment for him to get far enough and decided to follow the man from a distance.

"_He is definitely up to something",_ he thought as he watched the man hide his hair under his hood.

He followed him out of the palace, across a field of fig trees. Waver hid from one to another, until he suddenly realized he had no idea where he was going to.

The man took a left turn at one corner behind the palace, looking around from time to time to check if someone was coming. Waver decided to wait a few seconds before he continued, just to be safe. He stayed against the stone wall.

"…I need more time…", Waver could the man whispering.

"We have a deal…" A second voice whispered. It sounded so far away that Waver hardly could understand what they were saying.

"I can't do it…" The man sobbed, and the next thing Waver could hear was a muffled scream.

He peeked with one eye, his body still hiding behind the wall. He could see the man lying on the ground, with a spear though his leg.

He immediately turned away, his back tight against the wall. _"This is dangerous",_ he thought, alarmingly aware that he didn't know his way back into the palace.

The whispers stopped all of a sudden.

Waver rushed back in silence, trying to remember the way. He could hear footsteps far away, so he increased the pace, trying his best not run, scared to make too much noise. He turned right in another corner, and suddenly hit something, falling on his back.

"Damn it, Waver, you scared me", Ptolemy came out of the blue.

"Fuck…" Waver whispered, somehow relieved.

"Where were you? I've been waiting for you"

"I… I got lost…"

"You got lost…", repeated Ptolemy, skeptical. Then pointed at the wooden shack right behind them. "The stables are right here... But you got lost you say…"

"Yes, OK… I can't see well at night".

"Anyway, let's go back inside. We've got work to do."

Waver and Ptolemy went back into the palace in silence. They passed by the great hall, where everyone still enjoyed the feast. Ptolemy signaled Waver with his hand to go in the opposite way. The mage, misunderstanding this, followed him behind, tripping with Ptolemy when he suddenly stopped.

"What are you doing, Waver?" Complained Ptolemy, trying his best to keep his voice down.

"Sorry, I thought you said to come this way", he whispered loudly.

Ptolemy took a deep breath and tried again. "_You_…this way," he pointed at the room in the right, "_Me_…. This way", he headed towards the room in the left.

"Right…" Waver nodded and continued into the room, unsure of what he was supposed to look for.

He searched under the bed and found nothing but dust. He looked around. Some sort of desk and a nightstand, but nothing on them. He wondered whose room was this. Maybe one of the Lord's daughters?

He searched under the desk. Nothing.

"This is pointless…", he told himself. "What am I even doing here? I should be working in the lab instead… trying to find a way back home…"

A sudden subtle whistle came though the doorway.

"Let's go" Ptolemy called. Waver followed him right away.

"Did you find anything?" Waver asked as they entered the next room.

"No. You?"

"Nothing"

Waver looked around the room. This was a bigger, fancier room. Golden ornaments and lion fur decorating the room.

"What exactly are we looking for?"

"Anything. Maps, blueprints, letters, any sign…" he said, searching between a bunch of rolls of papyrus, dropping most of them on the floor.

"Careful Ptolemy, we have to leave everything as we found it or they will know someone went through their stuff", Waver said, picking up the rolls. He stopped to look at one that caught his attention.

"What's that?" He asked, carefully studying a document that looked like a map, but with strange signs on it.

Ptolemy titled his head to look at it carefully.

"That, my friend, is evidence" He said, smirking.

"Evidence?"

"This is a blueprint of Pella's palace"

"The palace? But why would they have it here in a bedroom? And what are those marks?"

"I am not sure". Ptolemy brought a hand to his chin, thoughtful. "I guess we can't take it with us, it won't prove anything unless we know what it means… But at least now know we know for sure they are up to something; we just have to figure out what".

They both stared at the map from different angles for a minute in silence, until they were interrupted by the cracking sound of something hitting the floor.

They both turned immediately.

A servant girl was staring at them, eyes wide open, speechless, her hands opened in the air. A ceramic jar crashed into pieces in front of her.

Waver's eyes went from the girl to Ptolemy several times. He turned to the girl and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, he felt a smack on the head.

"You stubborn drunk…" Yelled Ptolemy, catching Waver in his arms before he collapsed on the floor.

"W-what the…" Waver mumbled, half conscient.

"Shh, shh, you are alright, everything is fine".

Ptolemy threw Waver on his shoulder and carried his dead weight, like a sack of potatoes. He then turned to the girl, who was still staring in silence.

"Oh, just ignore him", Ptolemy said, chuckling. "Forgive him, my friend had too much wine at the feast!"

He smiled at the girl, but her face did not move one inch.

Ptolemy turned to Waver

"This is not your room, silly, I told you. Don't worry I'll get you to your bed"

"Wha…?" Waver tried to talk, but Ptolemy hit him once more time.

"Shhh, it's ok, I got you", Ptolemy said. "Sorry for the trouble, miss. The prince would really appreciate if you saved his friend the embarrassment", he begged her with his deep green eyes.

The girl nodded several times in haste.

"Have a good evening". He said, walking out of the room with Waver still passed out over his shoulders. He carried him all the way back into his room and tucked him in bed.

Waver woke up in his bed, still confused. He rubbed his head in pain, a huge bump growing in the back of his head. _"First Hephaestion, then Ptolemy…" _He thought, frustrated. He tried to sit up on the bed, but something was pulling the covers.

"You are awake", a familiar voice came from right beside him.

"Alexander?" He turned to the person lying by his side.

"Shh". The prince brought a finger to his lips.

"Now you…What are you doing here?" Waver raised his voice, slightly annoyed. He'd had enough for the day and all he wanted was to rest.

"Shh!" Alexander covered Waver's mouth with one hand. "Lower your voice, she'll hear you". He whispered.

They remained silent for a few seconds, listening to some footsteps walking away.

Waver removed Alexander's hand. "_She? _Who?"

"Lord Irus' daughter. She's been following me around all night. She even sneaked into my room!".

"Congratulations", said Waver, turning his back at the prince and getting ready to sleep, "…let me know when the wedding is. Now go back to your room, I need to sleep."

"She is like 12 years old!"

"That didn't seem to bother you during dinner", he said, closing his eyes.

"No, Waver, you don't understand. She is acting crazy!"

"Must be so hard for you…", Waver said sarcastically, rolling his eyes, "…being so popular with women".

Alexander smacked him on the head, right where Ptolemy had left a bump a moment ago.

"Hey! It hurts!" Waver turned to him.

"It's not funny…" Alexander was sitting on the bed with a serious look. "Can you just listen to me? Why are you being so selfish?

"Oh, forgive me, prince, for not empathizing with your royal problem. I was too busy getting smacked on the head, twice; risking my life, sneaking in and out of the palace, just to almost get caught and killed by some psychopaths. But I guess you have bigger problems."

Alexander pushed him violently out of the bed. Waver fell on the cold, rock hard floor.

"You can be a real asshole sometimes, Waver"

The fall hurt, but not nearly as much as Alexander's words. It was the first time the prince had insulted him like that. Waver regretted his words right away.

"Clearly my problems are none of your concern", the prince got up and walked towards the door.

"No…No, of course they are", Waver said, still on the floor, resting his hand on his face. "Listen, I didn't mean to be rude…. I just had a long day…"

Alexander stopped right away, as Waver expected. Only he didn't think of what to say next.

The prince stood there for another moment, then sat on a corner of the room.

"Ok, so what happened?" asked Waver.

"Nevermind. I don't feel like talking now", he said, lying down on the floor.

"Hey…" said Waver, lowering his voice, "you… you are not planning to sleep there, are you?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"…you can't sleep there, Alexander, you are prince…" Waver said, feeling suddenly guilty.

"Yes, you see…first of all, I am human, not any different than you…", he said as he turned his back to him, "…except maybe smarter and less of a jerk...", he mumbled, loud enough for Waver to hear.

"Alexander, come on…"

"It's not the first or the last time I'll sleep on the floor, Waver", he said, closing his eyes, using his own arm as a pillow.

"Can you please sleep on the bed like a normal person? I'll find somewhere else to-"

"Good night, Waver…"

The mage got on his feet, annoyed. He walked towards the prince and lied on the floor a few meters away from him.

Alexander turned to him, surprised.

"What are you doing?"

Waver closed his eyes and remained in silence.

"Now you are just being ridiculous…". The prince scoffed, turning his back again.

"So are you…"

They both remained in silence for a moment.

"Let's hope the lord's daughter won't find you lying on the floor here, defenseless. Or god knows what she'll do to you…", said Waver.

They could hear some footsteps out in the corridor, getting closer.

Alexander gulped.

"Fine…", he finally agreed, going into bed and hiding under the sheets.


	11. The Secret Agreement

**Chapter 11 – The Secret Agreement**

Waver woke up to a sore neck and Alexander yelling at him in a rush.

"Waver. Waver, wake up, let's go", the prince whispered, shaking him.

"W-why? What happened?" Waver asked with one eye opened.

"Nothing, no time to explain, let's get out of here".

Waver rubbed his eyes. Ptolemy and Hephaestion were also in the room, half dressed already.

"Why are you in such a rush?" Ptolemy asked, yawning, fixing his armor.

"Can you stop yelling?" complained Hephaestion, holding his head and leaning on the walls. "My head hurts…"

"Does it really?" Ptolemy screamed into his ear. Hephaestion crouched on the floor in pain. "Then remember not to have so much wine next time when we are on a mission"

"Come on, let's go", said the prince, helping Waver up and fixing his robes.

They headed to the stables in silence and got their horses ready themselves.

"Prince Alexandros", the old lord called, "Leaving so soon?"

"Y-yes". Alexander faked a smile. "I am terribly sorry, but I received an urgent letter from my father."

The lord's eyebrows raised in curiosity, waiting for further explanation.

"Yes, you see, my… uh… my…" He begun to explain, but no excuse came out of his mouth.

"His sister…", jumped in Ptolemy

"My sister…" Repeated Alexander

"…she is terrible ill…" Continued Ptolemy

"Terribly ill indeed…" the prince followed

"Oh, how unfortunate!" The lord looked at them with concern.

"Very, very unfortunate…" said Alexander. "Forgive our rudeness, but we are in a rush".

"By all means, my Lord. Travel safe. I hope we will see you more often around here now?"

"Sure…" he lied.

The old man gave Alexander a hug. "Farewell, _son_"

The other three exchanged looks of surprise and disgust. Ptolemy muttered a silent _"what?",_ to which Waver and Hephaestion shrugged.

They got on their horses and rode a few meters out of the city in silence until they were far away enough.

"OK, now you will have to explain", demanded Ptolemy

"What was that all about?" asked Waver

"What did you say to the old man? He seemed to hate you and now he hugs you and calls you "son"?" pointed out Hephaestion.

"I don't want to talk about it…"

"Excuse me?" Ptolemy stopped his horse in front of him, forcing Alexander to stop. "You committed to this. I committed too. We promised king Phillipe we would find something, and you expect me to go back with just empty hands and no excuse?"

"There is nothing to find!" Yelled Alexander. "Don't you get it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"This was all a lie that my father created to set me up…"

"What do you mean? But the letters…Your father's message…?" asked Ptolemy, confused

"Oh, you mean these letters?" The prince threw the rolls of papyrus at him. "You can ask my father to explain his brilliant idea of a joke"

Ptolemy opened the letters; the king's seal had already been opened. He read it out loud to Waver and Hephaestion.

"Dear Lord…" he skipped the introduction. A smile began to appear on his face as he kept reading. "…I believe the bond between our kingdoms can be strengthen by the union of my son and your daughter in marriage…"

Ptolemy snorted as he read. Waver and Hephaestion's jaw dropped, chuckling.

"Yes, very funny isn't it? Let's see if you'll laugh in the dungeons when I put you all in there for laughing at your prince"

The three of them pursed their lips to hide their smile, trying to look serious.

"How did you get these back?" asked Waver

"Lord Irus' daughter. She told me about it last night when…", the prince paused.

"Yes?" asked Hephaestion, intrigued.

"Last night when we were talking…in my room"

"Talking…", repeated Hephaestion.

"Yes. Talking… I knew she was acting strange. I've seen her several times since we were kids. Never once has she shown interest in me, not until last night".

"Well… I don't know…", said Hephaestion, his arms crossed against his chest, staring at the prince with a serious look. "You where both pretty young when you last saw each other. You have grown to become a handsome young man…"

"Shut up…", the prince rolled his eyes.

"It's true", Hephaestion gave him a serious look.

Alexander stared at him in silence, wondering if his friend meant his words or if he was just messing with him.

"So wait…", interrupted Waver, "She gave you the letter? Just like that?"

"No, she mentioned it. So, naturally, I went into her father's room and stole it"

"Naturally…", said Waver. Alexander did not get the sarcasm in his voice.

"I was curious to see what my father wrote in the other letter too, so I went into the old lord's room and stole it as well"

"right…", Waver sighed.

"But she didn't seem to be informed about it. She didn't say anything to me."

"That's odd", observed Waver.

Alexander shrugged.

They all silently begun to move their horses again back in the road.

"Oh well…", said Ptolemy, "Look at the bright side, at least you'll have a beautiful wife"

"Oh yeah? Why don't you marry her then?" Replied the prince, annoyed.

"Me?" Ptolemy scoffed. "Impossible. My heart belongs to one person, and only one. I could never marry anyone else. I don't care if I end up not marrying her. Not even then."

Alexander sighed. "I wish I could say the same…"

"Oh?" Hephaestion turned to him, surprised. "I didn't know our prince was such a romantic"

"I'm not…" Alexander eyes turned suddenly gloomy, "It's just… I don't know… I wish I could get to choose who I'll marry. But I guess for a prince that is too much to ask"

The air became dense for a moment. Everyone was silent.

"Well, you can always have a mistress!" said Hephaestion, trying to cheer him up.

"That's right…" The prince faked a smile.

"Once you are king you can do whatever you want!" Said Waver. "You can marry someone you love then, you can have more than one wife".

Although he was trying to cheer him up, Waver's comment ended up having the opposite effect.

"When I'm king, I will never force my children to marry anybody!", Alexander yelled.

"That is what you say now… you are young and stupid and idealistic", teased him Ptolemy.

Alexander completely ignored him, lost in his thoughts.

"He takes me for an idiot…", he thought out loud, frustrated. "…sending me to a _"mission",_ arranging my marriage without telling me anything. Who does he think he is?"

"Uh… he is the King…?", said Hephaestion.

Waver gave him a deadly glare, warning him to keep quiet.

"Sorry, I'll stop talking", Hephaestion whispered.

"Alright. Sure, maybe it was unscrupulous of your father to set you up like that. But he must have had his reasons", observed Ptolemy

"ARE YOU JUSTIFYING HIM, PTOLEMY?!"

"No, not at all. But I mean… he wouldn't have sent you all the way here with us just for that. And we did find something…Waver and I. Remember I told you this morning? Before you started freaking out about leaving."

"What did you find?", asked the prince

"A map of Pella's palace", said Waver.

"So? That doesn't prove anything…"

"No, but it has some strange marks on it. And don't you think it's strange of him to keep it in his room? Wouldn't it make sense to keep it with all the other maps of the kingdoms?"

Alexander calmed down for a moment to analyze Waver's words.

"Which lord was this room's? Was it the room on the west side of the great hall?", he asked.

Waver shook his head.

"I don't think it was the old man's room", said Hephaestion. "I saw him walking into his room when I woke up in the middle of the night to pee. His room was close to mine, on the east side".

"And another thing. Look," Waver pointed at the other letter, "why would your father write the exact same letter for two different lords? He clearly doesn't intend you to marry the two of them at the same time. If he wants a political alliance, as he says, none of this makes any sense".

"Maybe he is trying to prove something… trying to test them", guessed Ptolemy.

"Or maybe he just wants to use me to ensure his power and his allies", the prince said. The veins on his forehead popping out again in sign of irritation.

"Let's not make assumptions," said Hephaestion, trying to calm him down before he unleashed his rage, "the best way to find out is to ask the king directly, and report to him what we've found".

"Oh, trust me, I will have a long talk with him!" scoffed Alexander

In the palace of Pella king Phillipe waited for the prince and his companions impatiently. His royal guard, Orestys, keeping him company.

The guard handed over a roll of papyrus to the king.

"The prince is on his way here, your highness"

"That was a lot faster than expected", observed the king. "At least we got the information we needed".

He opened another letter, shaking his head in disappointment as he read it.

"This is what my men found in Olynthus, your highness".

"The lord fell for it too easily", the king said, "He is far too young and powerful for his own good. Since his father died, he's been trying to take over Olynthus for himself. As soon as I offered him the opportunity to marry his daughter to the prince, he started plotting to kill the old lord, his only competition in power. After marrying her daughter to my son, he would have probably plotted to kill us too".

"How do you know?"

"One of the conditions for the marriage agreement was to keep it secret, even from their daughters. That is why I sent the same letter to both of them. Alexandros may not like the way I planed this, but it was the only way I could think of to find out who is loyal enough to keep their word. He would protested and complained about it to his friends if I told him in advance. He would have even refused to do it in the first place. He probably hates me right now".

"Then you intend to keep the engagement?"

"Olynthus is an important city, economically and strategically speaking. And the lord has proven to be loyal. If he accepts my conditions and doubles the funding for our army, I will have to honor my word, and Alexandros will have to marry his daughter".

Orestys nodded. "Do you think the prince has found out already?"

"Who knows, I would have liked to tell him myself, but news travel fast in this empire…"

"Yet we still don't know who the traitor within the council is. My men managed to intercept some of the letters, but I couldn't find any clues leading to his connexion here in Pella".

Phillipe scratched his beard in silence, as he usually did whenever he was thinking.

His thoughts were interrupted by Attalus, who stormed into the room.

"Your Highness"

"Attalus"

The General turned to the guard and gave him a disgusted look.

"Why is he still here?" he asked the king

"I beg your pardon?", the king looked at him, offended.

"I came here because I was summoned to a council meeting with the king. I am not discussing important business in front of a simple guard", complained the general.

Orestys pointed his spear towards him. "It is not for you to decide what the king discusses or not in front of someone".

"What did you just say?" Attalus drew his sword. "How dare you threaten a General!"

"Enough, Attalus". The king signaled them to lower their weapons.

Attalus turned to the king, without lowering his sword.

"Why were you discussing such important information with this guard!"

"If my general was here when I needed him, I could be discussing this with him!"

There was a brief silence before the king continued.

"Where on Earth have you been, Attalus? You disappear for days and now you show up with complains… And why are you limping?" He observed, pointing at the man's injured leg, dripping with blood.

He didn't reply.

"Careful, or someone younger may take your place", said Orestys.

"Orestys…" The king frowned at him.

Attalus swung his sword at Orestys. The guard barely blocked the strike with his spear.

"Lower your petty weapon, guard".

"I take orders only from my king, soldier".

Attalus swung his sword again, this time harder, making Orestys move back several steps.

"That's enough! Both of you! ...you are behaving like children".

"I want him out of this room!" Attalus yelled at the king, "You can't trust him!"

"Careful, Attalus!" The king got on his feet. "You dare giving orders to your king?"

Attalus stared at him in silence, his nostrils widen, breathing heavily. Both refused to look away.

"No, your Highness…", finally said Attalus, "I dare to give advice to an old friend…"

The king sat down in silence.

"But we both know you have chosen not to listen to me, long ago…"

The king sighed, rubbing his temples with his fingers back and forth.

"Orestys, leave us"

The man lowered his spear and slowly exited the room without a word.

Attalus observed his every step as he walked away, and spoke only after he completely exited the room.

"I don't trust him..."

"Attalus, please. You need to let go of the past"

"But why is he back? Why now? After all this time? You were the one who exiled him".

"I asked him to come. We are at war, Attalus. The deadliest war my Empire has ever seen. I need everybody I can count on. And believe me when I say there is only a handful of those…"

"I don't know… Ever since he came all these strange things started happening in the palace".

"You are overthinking, Attalus. You are tired. You should take a rest to recover from that", the king pointed at the man's wounded leg.

"It's nothing, I just fell. I'm old and clumsy"

"And bad tempered"

"Not as much as you"

The king chuckled, Attalus smiled.

"So", continued the General, "I heard you've found a wife for Alexandros?"

The king sat back, resting the back of his head on his chair.

"News sure spread fast in this kingdom… Who told you?"

"Olympias"

Phillipe closed his eyes and took a deep breath, picturing his wife's angry face.

"I haven't had the chance to tell her yet. She will be pissed. I'll talk to her later".

"I am more worried about the young lord, to be honest. You know how he is when he gets angry…"

A sudden distant sound of stomping in the hallway grew louder and louder towards them as they talked.

"FATHER! WE NEED TO TALK!"


	12. Hephaestion

Chapter 12 – Hephaestion

348 BC

The temple of Dionysus was the most lively and popular of Pella. Offerings abounding at the feet of the joyous god, brought by the numerous believers that came to thank him each day.

Everyday, except this one.

On the other side of the city, fallen soldiers were being mourned. The streets of Pella were dead quiet. Only a few merchants, servants, and a casual orphan roamed silently the alley by the temple.

The silence was suddenly disrupted by a little boy who came rushing down the street, followed by royal guards, holding onto the small bag he was carrying. The boy went into the temple to hide from the soldiers. He passed by the statue of the god and sat in the garden, finding a safe spot to admire the goods he had just looted.

"Finally!" he said to himself, opening the bag to admire the tasty looking bun he had stolen. But just before he could take a bite, his attention was drawn to somewhere else.

Another boy sat in front of the statue of Dionysus. Thoughtful, in silence.

_Is he one of the orphans?_ The boy wondered.

He stared at his bread with guilt for a moment. Then put it back in the bag and walked towards the boy.

"Hello", he said, but the boy did not seem to hear him. He walked a little closer, and as he did, he recognized his golden locks of hair from somewhere.

_Isn't that the kid who almost broke my nose the other day? _He noticed, slightly surprised. _I'll teach him a lesson!_

He walked towards him with determination.

"Hey!" He called again, standing in front of him.

The blonde did not reply.

"I said…_Hello_"

They boy bent over to take a better look at the blonde's face. His eyes looked dull and his face absent-minded.

"Are you deaf or something?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"Just go away…", the blonde finally spoke, turning his back at him.

The boy was speechless for a moment, wondering what he had done wrong to deserve such impolite treatment. He resisted the urge to insult him, and figured it must have been something else that was troubling the young boy. He noticed his face was dirty and his clothes, although of high quality, were reduced to rags. He carried no belongings, expect for a thick, old book.

The boy stood there and observed the blonde in silence as he turned the pages of the book.

"Woah!" The boy pointed at the book, suddenly excited.

"What?" Asked the blonde, without looking away from his book.

"T-that is… Are you a fan of the Iliad too?"

The blonde looked up, his eyes recovering their color for a brief second.

"H-Have you read it?" The blonde asked, shy

"_Have I read it_?" Repeated the other one, scoffing. "I don't know anyone in Macedon who has not!"

The blonde looked at him with disapproval.

"That's only because you don't know anybody who can't read, you highborn jerk"

The boy gasped, offended.

"L-look who is talking! You know how to read too!" He pointed out.

"My father taught me". He fixed his eyes on the book again. "He also taught me to interact with all kinds of people. Unlike other nobles… No human life is worth more than another. We are all mortal in the end, only the gods are above us all."

"A wise man he must be", he nodded, fascinated by his wise words.

"Was…", corrected him the blonde.

The boy gulped, speechless.

"His body is being incinerated right now… among all the other soldiers", he continued.

"I am sorry…"

"It doesn't matter now", he said, bitterly. His hands shaking on his book. "He decided to fight. It's his fault…"

"Hey," said the boy in a sweet voice, "it's OK to be upset…he was your father after all".

"I'm not sad!" The blonde's voice suddenly raised. "I am angry because all my friends have been left alone, and I will be forced to live in the palace. Why do I get to live there while they starve in the streets? Why can't the other orphans have a home too?!"

The boy looked at him, eyes wide opened. He sighed, feeling deeply sorry for him and all the other orphans.

He sat next to him and offered him a piece of bread.

The blonde snatched it out of his hands and shoved it into his mouth.

The boy gave him a warm smile.

"It's alright", he said, "You don't have to feel guilty because you have a better fortune than the rest. That is not up to us but only to the gods. You are just another boy who has lost his father, no different than any other child out there. You are allowed to feel sad. You can-"

He turned to him. The blonde suddenly started sobbing.

The boy, surprised, handed him over his own share of bread he had left.

The blonde took it, chewing and sheading tears in silence at the same time, in some sort of catharsis. As he swallowed, he realized he hadn't eaten anything the whole day, noticing also his dirty clothes and hands, feeling suddenly miserable.

When he finished eating, he suddenly broke into tears, screaming, covering his face with his hands in shame.

The other boy patted him on the back. He had never heard anyone cry like that, a pain so deep it seemed like it burst out all at a time.

They sat there like that for some time.

"I wonder if he has met the great heroes from the past…". The boy said after a while, looking up at the clouds. "Do you think one day I will be able to join them?"

"Them?" Asked the blonde, wiping his last tears.

"Your father I mean… and Achilles, and all the great warriors up there"

The blonde looked up, taking a deep breath.

"We'll only know if we get there", he said. Then took a deep breath and got on his feet.

He offered the boy his hand.

"I'm Hephaestion", he said.

The other one took his hand.

"Alexandros", he said as he got up.

"Huh?!" Hephaestion looked at him, surprised, "Alexandros as in… _prince Alexandros_?"

"Yes, why are you so surprised?" He asked, amused.

"I don't know, I thought you were a warrior." He stared at the boy's slim body, disappointed.

"I _am a_ warrior…" he said, annoyed.

"Wait…" Hephaestion examined him closely, noticing his ginger hair. "Aren't you that kid I beat up the other day during training?"

"I-I don't know what you are talking about", he lied.

"Yeah you are right, it can't be. That one was a warrior…" He said, slightly confused.

"I AM A WARRIOR!"

"You certainly don't look like one"

"Appearances can deceive you! You cannot judge only with your eyes", the prince stood tall, proud of his own words.

"Then how about I judge you with my fists?" Hephaestion said with a smirk.

Alexandros grinned at him, and Hephaestion knew his challenge was accepted.

They wrestled for a few minutes, both taking the advantage at different moments. They kept wrestling until they were both beaten by exhaustion. None of them able to win.

They lied on the floor, panting.

"You are not bad, for a nobleman", said Alexandros

"And you are not so awful, for a prince", joked Hephaestion

They both chuckled

"You'll see, tomorrow I'll beat you", said the prince with confidence

"We'll see…"

From the next day on, the two boys met at the temple everyday. Each day at the same time, for 3 weeks, before everything changed for them.

"Wake up prince, don't let your guard down!" Said Hephaestion that day when he found Alexandros relaxing under the shade of a tree, jumping over him.

Alexandros, smaller yet more agile, easily turned him over, pinning him down to the ground.

"Not today," he said, "I want to show you something"

He helped Hephaestion up and guided him into a small room.

"What are we doing?"

"Shh, this is my secret place" Alexandros said, walking out of the room and into a small corridor that lead to the garden.

"Secret place for what?" He asked as he followed him.

"Look", Alexandros pointed at a mosaic mural on the wall. The silhouette of two great warriors crossing their swords shone in gold under a bright sun. By their side, other warriors fought in the middle of an epic battle scene revived in the mural.

"Woah! Are those-!?"

"Achilles and Hektor. And look, there is Paris too… and Patroclus", he pointed at the hero standing next to Achilles.

"How did you find this place?"

"This is were I come read and eat whenever I steal something from the kitchen"

"You are a prince, why do you have to steal food?"

"My mom won't let me have any food until I finish my training" He said, pouting

"Oh, so that's why I barely ever saw you before in the training grounds…"

"So…" the prince changed the subject. "I wanted to let you know that you will be moving in with us tomorrow"

"W-what? You mean with your family?" he asked, his faced showed concern

"You don't want to live with us in the palace?"

"No-no, it's just… I was expecting to live with the servants, or… somewhere more fit for me, I don't know…"

"Well, I'm sorry that we don't meet your standards", he said sarcastically.

"Don't get me wrong. I am happy."

Alexandros sighed.

"My father, king Philip, he knew your father. He told me he was a great warrior. Naturally, as his son, you are welcome in the palace".

Hephaestion smiled, his eyes suddenly became glassy.

"Thank you"

"A-anyway…!" said Alexandros, hastily. He did not want to see him cry again. "Since tomorrow, we will also be training together in the palace everyday with general Attalus"

Alexandros paused and turned to him, seeking a reaction.

"Which means… we no longer have to come here to spar"

Hephaestion looked at him, puzzled.

"So…" he paused and coughed, "I, uh… I just wanted to show you this. As a parting gift"

"Parting?"

"I mean, to say goodbye to you as my rival. Since we are on the same team now", said the prince as he walked away, leaving Hephaestion confused. "I'll see you around"

"Wait, Alexandros. What's that supposed to mean?" He said as he followed him. "Alexandros!"

After that day Alexandros continued going to his secret place, as always. Book in hand, carrying a bag with his precious stolen buns, he sat in the garden by the mural and waited. Waited all morning, at the same time for the next couple of days, but Hephaestion never came as he expected.

"I knew it", Alexandros said, tossing the bread far away. "He's not my real friend!"

He crouched against the wall and hid his face into his knees.

_Nobody would want to be friends with a prince… _

Painful memories flashed through his mind. He recalled the time when he used to sneak out the palace to play with other children. Until the war changed everything.

"_It is your fault that our fathers and brothers are dead!" _

"_It is your father's war they are fighting!"_

"_We don't want to see you anymore!"_

"_Go back to your palace, prince!" _

A familiar feeling of loneliness hit him like a spear though his chest. He closed his eyes and cried to sleep.

"Alexandros"

A voice called him.

"Alexandros, wake up"

The prince opened his eyes, Hephaestion was kneeling in front of him.

"What are you doing here, you are missing training"

Alexandros yawned, stretching his arms and legs.

"Let's go, your mom is angry, she is looking for you"

"I don't care", the prince said, getting up with trouble. His legs had gone numbed.

Hephaestion helped him up.

"Go away", protested the prince.

Hephaestion grabbed him, regardless, and carried him over his shoulders.

"Hey put me down!" he said, helpless. "What I do or not is none of your business! Why do you care!?"

"I don't want you to get in trouble. You are my friend"

Hephaestion felt how Alexandros suddenly stopped struggling, and a tear drop landed on his cheek.

"You dumb prince", he said, putting him down.

Hephaestion wiped Alexandros' tears. He held his hand and they walked together back into the palace.

The next day, Alexandros skipped training again. This time Olympias spoke directly to Hepheastion.

"Boy", the queen called him over when he was training.

Hepheastion looked around, hesitant.

"Yes, you. Come, child"

Hephaestion slowly walked toward her, slightly embarrassed by all the eyes suddenly on him.

"I saw you walking with my son, the prince, into the place yesterday. Do you know where he hides?"

A drop of cold sweat ran down Hephaestion's spine.

"No, your highness", he lied.

The cunning woman saw through his lie.

"If you happen to see my son, could you pass him a message?"

The boy nodded hastily

"Tell him that if I find out he has been skipping his duties, or if he has taken food without my permission, there will be punishment"

"Yes, your highness"

The queen turned around.

"Oh, and also tell him I said that anyone who is found with him, or helping him escape from his duties, they will be punished with him".

The boy gulped. He waited for the queen to leave and excused himself to go to the bathroom, then headed to the temple of Dionysus.

When he walked into the garden, he found Alexandros relaxing on the grass, a leg crossed over his knee, hands behind his head.

Hephaestion sighed.

"Again with this, Alexandros"

He pretended to be asleep.

"Hey, you can trick your mom but not me. I know you are awake"

He came closer and attempted to poke him with his lance.

Alexandros reacted on time, grabbing his lance and throwing him in the air. Hephaestion grabbed onto the lance and pushed it into the ground between Alexandros legs.

"That's a good start!", he said, grinning and getting up and ready to fight.

"What are you doing! Your mom in angry! Now she is going to yell at me too! You are getting us both into trouble!"

"But it's no fun over there", he said, pouting, "Nobody can actually handle a fight. No one…except maybe you"

"I'll fight you in the palace, come on let's go". He said, pulling his arm.

"I'll go only if you beat me", he said, clinging onto an olive tree with his other arm.

"Fine!" He said, letting go of his arm and getting ready to fight.

"If I win, you will have to come here with me whenever I come, and do everything I say!"

"That will never happen!"

But it happened.

The temple became the boys' place hangout. At first, Hephaestion came to take Alexandros back to the training grounds, scared of getting scold by Olympias and Attalus. But Alexandros always found a different adventure to go on every time, and Hephaestion couldn't resist. Hephaestion managed to negotiate with the stubborn prince, agreeing he would go with him anywhere, but only after finishing their training. Every now and then, they would both sneak out to eat in secret, or read and share their passion for the Iliad.

The days went by and the boys lived their days without big worries, until Alexander's sixteenth birthday came.

Hephaestion had been waiting for a long time in the garden. It was already dark when Alexandros came.

"What took you so long?" he asked when the prince walked in.

Alexander walked slowly toward him, looking confused and astonished.

"Everything alright?" asked Hephaestion, suddenly worried.

"Father just left for battle", he said, sitting by his side. "It has begun"

The blonde stared at him in silence. He knew exactly what he meant.

"He named me king regent…"

"What? That's-"

"We'll go into battle soon…Hephaestion"

Hephaestion's heartbeat rose, exited yet terrified.

Alexandros lied on the grass next to him in silence, gazing at the stars. Hephaestion lied by his side.

It was a bright, clear sky. Orion shone in all its might. Both boys dazzled by the lights.

"Hey, Hephaestion…?"

"Yeah?" Hephaestion turned to him.

"One day I will be King. A real king. And when I am king, I want to see the world"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I like you. And because I trust you"

Hephaestion blushed, speechless.

"Hephaestion, will you follow me into my greatest adventure?"

Hephaestion stretched his hand and held Alexandros'.

"I will follow you until the end of the world"

Alexander turned to him and smiled.

"I have only one condition" Added Hephaestion, suddenly sitting up. "One day, when our lives come to an end. But we will become heroes, together, and our names will become immortal."

Alexander sat facing him, listening attentively.

"This means… we cannot die in this war with the Athenians. Your father will come back alive and unite this kingdom…and he will watch you as you become a greater king than he could ever be! A conqueror king, one like the world has never seen before!"

Hephaestion could swear he saw Zeus's thunder sparkling in the prince's eyes for a moment.

"I, Alexandros, prince of Macedonia, swear that you, Hephaestion, and l will become great heroes. And the people of Macedon… no, the people of the world will tell our legends and sing our songs for generations"

"Just like Achilles and Patroclus?"

"Exactly like them"

They both gazed up at the stars one more time.

"I would be Achilles, though" said Hephaestion, out of the blue.

"No, that would be me", argued Alexandros

"Why? I'm stronger"

"I'm prince. I win"

"Fine…", he agreed. "But…hey, wait a minute, nobody sings about Patroclus"

"Well then, we will make sure everyone sings about the great heroes Alexander and Hephaestion"

"Nice try. I'll show you I would be a better Achilles by beating you"

"You can try" Alexander grinned.

They wrestled roughly, but none of them able to beat the other. Alexander chuckled as he watched Hephaestion break free from him every time, pinning the prince down to the grass.

"I'm beginning to think you enjoy losing against me sometimes, Alexandros", said Hephaestion, smirking as he held on to Alexandros' wrists. The prince did not resist, not even one muscle of his body tried to move.

"Maybe I do…"

Alexandros stared at him, intense eyes, a shy yet hungry smile on his lips. His cheeks glowing slightly red.

Hephaestion was stunned by that view for a second. His eyes fixed on the prince's lips. He let go off his wrists and drew the contour of his mouth with one finger. Alexandros gently grabbed Hephaestion's face to bring him closer to his. Hephaestion closed his eyes and slightly opened his mouth, feeling the prince's breath on his lips.

"Hephaestion, wake up".

He opened his eyes.

He sat up and looked around, rubbing his eyes, disoriented.

"Time to go, Attalus is waiting for you". Ptolemy was standing by his side, waking him up from his nap at the temple's garden.

"Just two more minutes", he said as he lied down again, yawning.

"You sound like Alexandros. Come on", Ptolemy said, kicking his leg, "I won't be as gentle as him when he wakes you up, you know".

"Alright", Hephaestion got up in a second, energetically, giving himself a soft slap on his cheeks. "Let's do this".

General Attalus was waiting for them already in the training grounds. Around a hundred young men lined up facing him, ready to start their training.

"Is this how you set the example for your new soldiers, Hephaestion?", asked the old general

"Sorry, I overslept, I was training them all morning and-"

"Wasn't Alexandros supposed to lead the training this morning?" asked Attalus, surprised.

"Yeah, well, he didn't"

"Where is he?"

"I have no idea"

"Don't lie to me"

"I'm not. Why does everyone assume I know where Alexandros is all the time?"

Attalus gave Ptolemy a look, surprised by Hephaestion unusual harsh tone.

"Instead of lecturing me, you should worry more about him…", said Hephaestion.

"That is no excuse for you to come this late…", pointed out Attalus.

Hephaestion scoffed, turned around and begun stretching, ready to ignore the old man's speech that would surely come.

Attalus sighed.

"Listen Hephaestion, you are going to be a general one day. You need to stop joking around and be serious. You cannot fail. You cannot oversleep, you cannot lack sleep either. You cannot afford being tired, or angry, or scared. You cannot afford to make a mistake. We do not make mistakes. A mistake for us can cost lives. You already failed once, Hephaestion…"

Hephaestion's scar suddenly burnt on his abdomen, stinging at the memory of the infamous battle. He looked down, fixing his eyes on the ground, still pretending he couldn't hear him.

"…Don't let us down again. Don't let Alexandros down. You made the prince risk his life to save you once. Don't ever let that happen again. I am counting on you. Macedon is counting on you…"

Hephaestion finished his stretching routine as soon as Attalus left, and with it, the training begun.

The sun hit merciless the scrawny bodies of the young soldiers. The men were exhausted after only a few minutes of training.

Hephaestion observed the sad scene with disappointment.

"I feel bad for the crows, there won't be even enough meat for them", he joked

"What a thing to say, Hephaestion" Ptolemy gave him a glare, "this is no time to be joking".

"Take a break, boys! Get some water!" Ordered Hephaestion.

"These are no soldiers. They are too old to start their straining. They are farmers, blacksmiths... I don't know how the king intends to invade Persia with this army", said Ptolemy, pulling a bucket of water up a well.

"I don't know what his intentions are…", said Hephaestion.

"Your highness!" Suddenly yelled a soldier.

"It's her!" Whispered a young boy, and everyone else around them stood in line, exited.

Olympias walked across the training grounds toward Hephaestion and Ptolemy.

"Enjoying the morning breeze under the sun, your Highness?" Asked Hephaestion with a playful smile. "or perhaps you have come to amuse yourself with the arts of wrestling?"

"Very funny," she said. "Have you seen my son?"

Hephaestion slightly tilted his head and forced a smile.

"No, your Highness, I have not seen your son. In fact, it has been a while since I've known what your son is doing, where he is, or who he is with. It would be a better to ask Waver, perhaps. He seems more informed than us…", he said, bitterly.

Olympias looked at him, thoughtful.

"I guess he returned to that bad habit of his…", she observed. "He probably found a new toy to play with, something more interesting than his duties".

Hephaestion chuckled, unamused at her comment.

"I am sorry to interrupt, please continue. At least one of you is doing what you are supposed to. Thank you, Hephaestion", the queen said, and walked away back into the palace.

"But seriously, where the heck is he?" Wondered Ptolemy

"I swear to Zeus, if someone asks me one more time…!"

Out in the mountains, prince Alexandros and Waver made their way to the temple of Ares.

"Remind me why are we hear again?" Asked Waver, panting his way up the mountain.

"I told you," said Alexander, wiping a drop of sweat from his forehead with his wrist, "we are here for the offering to the god".

"Right, and we had to go all the way up this hill for that…"

"It is part of it. You cannot ask for something and give nothing in return".

"Because carrying a basket full of animals' guts isn't sacrifice enough…", he mumbled to himself

"I heard that"

"How much longer?" Waver ignored him.

"If I could hear that, Ares certainly could…"

"Good, because if he is listening, I have a couple of things to say to him. For example, TO END THIS STUPID WAR!"

"Careful" Alexander turned to him, alarmed, "Do not tease the gods, Waver Velvet, or they will unleash their wrath upon you, and you will doom us all".

The seriousness of his look was intimidating, even if Waver didn't believe in any gods.

"I-I was just joking… anyway, the faster we finish, the better", he said.

They reached the temple after an hour. The priests and priestesses welcomed them with a cup of water and lead them to the place where they performed the ritual.

After they finished their prayers, Alexander sat under the shade of an olive tree, gathering strength for their journey back to the palace.

"What a long morning!" Alexander said, relaxing on the ground.

Waver followed him.

"Are you sure you won't be in trouble for not training the new soldiers?" he asked

"It's fine! This is more important to win the war"

"I'm not so sure about that…" said Waver, skeptical, then placed his cloak on the rough ground to seat by his side. When he did, he felt he had sat on something. He checked in between his cloak and found a bracelet. He had forgotten he brought it to give it to Alexander earlier.

"On a second thought, maybe it's better if we head back soon", said Alexander, suddenly remembering he had to train the new army that morning.

Waver put the bracelet back into his pocket.

"We better hurry, we have one more errand to run before we go to the palace after all!" Alexander said energetically.

"What?! Another one?!"

Alexander and Waver entered the temple of Dionysus that afternoon, carrying offerings for the god.

"How many more gods do you plan on worshipping today?" Complained Waver.

"This is the last one", said Alexander, "At least for today"

Alexander stared at the statue of the god, and a sudden feeling of joy and nostalgia invaded him.

"It's been a while since I've been here…" he said, "I used to come here everyday"

He remembered the mosaic mural he used to admire as a kid.

"Oh! Since we are already here, I would like to see something. Wait here, I will be right back!"

He said, walking away.

"Wait! Don't leave me here by myself! I'm only here because you dragged me with you. Let's go back already!" Waver said, following him.

"Hey wait!"

Waver followed him into a small room.

Alexander stopped there to admire the windows and mosaic art that had recently been placed there.

"This used to be almost empty", he observed, "We used to come here to play"

"We?" Asked Waver, curious.

"The last time I was here I was still a boy…" Alexander said, almost to himself. "A teenager, yet still a boy. That was almost three years ago…"

He walked around the room, sliding his fingers through everything he could see, as if his hands would remember what his eyes could not.

His hands suddenly stopped on some sort of chest, his fingers finding their way into a secret drawer.

"Ah!", gasped Alexander, fascinated by what his hands found. "It's still here!"

"What?" Asked Waver, "What is it?"

"This was Hephaestion's" He said as he took out an old copy of the Iliad. He blew away the dust, and gently stroke the leather cover. A smile appeared on his lips, "He had it that day we met…"

Alexander remained like that for a while, lost in his memories.

Waver stood there in silence, feeling suddenly awkward.

"Ahem", coughed Waver after a while. "I have something for you"

He took out the bracelet and handed it over to Alexander.

"Put it on and don't ever remove it".

Alexander stared at the silver chain with a blue rock in the middle.

"A gift for me?" he said, gently putting the book back into the drawer. "Why are you being so kind? What did I do?"

He accepted the bracelet, extending his arm to Waver, who helped him put it on.

"I-I'm not being kind!", said Waver, blushing. "It is an amulet. I have enchanted it to protect you from magic. The rock will glow to alert you whenever an extraordinarily powerful magical circuit is around. I made one for myself and thought it would be good for you to have one as well".

Waver took a second bracelet out of his cloak and tried to put it on himself, without success. Alexander helped him.

"Thank you, I appreciate your concern", he said, smiling at Waver.

"It's nothing…" said Waver, blushing.

"I am so lucky to have you…" Alexandros though out loud.

Waver was not sure what to say to him.

"…and Hephaestion, and Ptolemy", continued Alexander

"Oh…" said Waver, slightly disappointed. "Yes, I guess you have very good friends"

"Hey, Waver?"

"Yes?"

Waver turned to him, Alexander's eyes sparkled intensely, reflecting the golden gleam of the mural.

"Will you follow me to eternity?", he said, placing a hand on Waver's shoulder.

Waver was speechless, surprised by the unexpected words. He wanted to say "yes", he really wanted to. But something inside him wouldn't let him. The memory of Iskandar, the heroic spirit, haunted him, reminding him the person in front of him was someone else. He had sworn loyalty to one king, and one only.

"Alexander, I-" Waver took his hand, gently moving it away from his shoulder.

"Alexandros!" Parmenion suddenly came in, panting

"Parmenion?" The prince turned to him, "How did you know I was here?"

"Hephaestion… he knew you would be here" he said, catching his breath, "He is waiting for you, we need to go, now!"

"Why? What happened?"

"The Persians!" Yelled Parmenion "They have reached our walls…!"

"What?!" Alexander and Waver yelled at the same time.

"We are under attack!"


	13. The War

When Waver and Alexander reached the palace, the soldiers were already gathering at the entrance.

Hephaestion in his armor, helmet on, directing everyone to go in their lines. Parmenion, Attalus and Ptolemy leading the civilians into the palace for protection.

"Prince Alexandros!" Attalus called when he saw the prince walking towards them, "we have been looking for you!"

Hephaestion turned to the prince as soon as he heard his name. His face of relief lasted only a few seconds until he remembered what was upsetting him.

"What is going on?", said Alexander, observing concerned how the people of Pella spead up their pace into the palace. A little boy tripped and fell right in front of him. He helped him up and signaled him to go inside the palace.

"Could somebody inform me what's the situation?" he repeated, turning to Hephaestion.

"You would know If you had been where you were supposed to be…", he replied, bitterly.

Alexander frowned at his friend's unusual sharp tongue.

"Sorry," jumped in Waver, standing in between them, gently resting his hand on Hephaestion's arm. "It's my fault, we were going to the temple and I-"

"It's fine", he lied, his eyes fixed on Waver's arm, wondering why he was wearing the exact same bracelet as Alexander. "You don't need to give me excuses…"

Alexander and Hephaestion exchanged an intense glare.

Ptolemy broke the awkward silence between them.

"The Persians have entered our perimeter, it is only a matter of minutes until they reach the city", he said.

"There is no time to waste, my Lord, please give the order", asked Attalus.

"And my father?" asked the prince

"The king has just left for Epirus to ask for more men to support our army," explained Parmenion, "those damned Persians… they must have known he left with half of our men, and waited to attack…"

"Half of the army! You must be joking…" claimed Alexander, although his face showed no sign of comedy. "In a moment like this…"

In the distance, a sudden sound of explosion grew louder and louder. Short, intermittent bangs made the earth shake underneath their feet.

"What on earth is that?" Asked Parmenion, confused.

Everyone went quiet for a moment. Everybody stopped, even the people on the streets.

A second later, a scent of sulfur and burning charcoal filled the air. Everyone looked around trying to find where it came from.

Then a little boy pointed up to the sky.

A black cloud above them.

Before anyone could move or say anything, a shower of lightning struck the city, followed by a loud bang.

Bodies flew in the air in all directions, along with the tiles and pebbles from the blown-up buildings. All in a second.

That was when chaos begun.

The people of Pella panicked, rushing into the palace in despair as they avoided the continuous explosions. Screaming, pushing, tripping over one another.

"Alexander!" called Waver managing to get up, removing a piece of a marble statue he had used as shield "Is everyone ok?"

The prince and the rest of the soldiers were already on their feet.

Waver observed astonished the limbs and bodies being disintegrated with every wave of explosions.

"This cannot be…" he mumbled in denial, "this is…"

"Magic?" asked Attalus, perceptive.

Waver gulped.

"We have to move! They are still coming!" said Hephaestion

"My Lord, what are your orders?" asked Attalus

Alexander knelt in silence. His face pale, his body in shock, shaking, unable to process the horror his eyes were witnessing.

"My Lord…?"

Another round of explosions fell upon the city, this time hitting the city walls.

"Prince! Your orders!" Yelled Parmenion, frantically.

Alexander showed no sign of response.

Hephaestion walked toward him and punched him on the cheek all of a sudden. Alexander instantly fell on his side, hitting the ground.

Everyone's eyes went from the Alexander to Hephaestion and back, staring and waiting for the prince's reaction after being slapped in public.

Alexander rubbed his cheek, then chuckled.

"Thank you…", he muttered, getting on his feet with some trouble.

Hephaestion sighed, his eyebrows rose as a smile appeared on his face. He extended his hand to help him up.

Their eyes met in a melancholic yet forgiving look, and suddenly the world stopped for a moment around them.

Hephaestion nodded.

Alexander nodded back.

Everyone else observed the scene puzzled. Everyone except Ptolemy, who smiled with relief.

The prince now stood tall and faced the soldiers.

"Soldiers of Pella!" the prince finally announced. "Get ready for battle!"

The men, confused and scared, slowly begun to recover from the shock and gathered their strength to stand by the prince's side.

"Hephaestion, you will lead. Parmenion, stay at the end, I'll leave the strategy to you. Attalus, you'll lead the second battalion. Waver, Ptolemy, you will lead the people safely into the palace and protect them there."

"But…" both Ptolemy and Waver opened their mouth to protest.

"I need someone I trust to protect the people I care about…", he gave Ptolemy a look. No more words were needed.

"I will protect them with my life", Ptolemy said, holding on to the silver amulet hanging around his neck.

"My lord, I understand your intentions, but I believe magic can only be fought with magic", said Attalus, turning to Waver. "Let's use the boy".

"I will not use magic for war", said Waver with determination.

Attalus was ready to argue, but Alexander ordered him to stop with his hand.

"I will still go with you…", defied him Waver. Alexander raised an eyebrow.

"…my Lord," Waver added. "I refuse to stay".

Alexander stood close to him, grabbing Waver by his shoulders. Waver's hand went immediately to Alexander's, feeling the bracelet on his wrist.

"Stay safe…", said the prince, then turned to Ptolemy.

Waver was suddenly smacked in the head by Ptolemy and dragged inside the palace.

"Soldiers of Pella!" yelled Hephaestion, and the men stood in their lines.

"Fear not…" Said Alexander, pausing to wait for the incoming explosion to pass. "Fear not, soldiers, for the gods are on our side! Even If we are to die today, we shall give those Persians a fight they will remember!"

The men cheered and raised their swords and spears, ready to put on their helmets and shields.

Alexander stood close by Hephaestion's side:

"And they will sing songs about us…", he whispered to his ear.

Hephaestion smiled gently, holding his hand.

"…and our names will become immortal".

Alexander smiled back, and with his other hand he whistled loudly.

Bucephalus galloped towards his master to march with him into war.

"Fire!" Ordered Parmenion from the end of the line, and the archers fired an arrow shower over the walls.

The explosions ceased for a moment, which they used to exit though the gates and secured them right away.

Outside the walls, the Macedonians were surprised to find only a few dozens of Persians, most of them already dead, pierced by the arrows. A trace of dark smoke clouded the air after the ceased fire.

Hephaestion continued leading the first line of the army into battle, putting an end to the remaining agonizing men in the battlefield.

They continued marching at a slow pace.

Hephaestion looked around, cautious. His throat tickling, his eyes itching with the smoke.

In the distance, a silhouette appeared in between the clouds. Once he was closer, Hephaestion could identify a couple of warriors. They wore no armor, but instead, a strange long robe and a bare chest. They carried no visible weapons.

"_It's a trap"_ thought Hephaestion, hesitant, suddenly stopping.

He looked back. Alexander was watching him from the distance, waiting for him to move.

"_I'll play it safe_," he thought. He raised his hand to indicate the archers to fire one more time. Alexander passed the signal on.

"Fire!" ordered Parmenion again from the back.

The archers fired once more.

The arrows stopped in mid air, as if hitting an invisible wall between them and the Persians. The arrows all landed one by one in the rough, dry plains in front of them.

A moment later Hephaestion heard a roar coming from underneath his feet. The earth burst from within, the explosion wiped out half of the army in seconds.

"Hephaestion!", yelled Alexander, observing with horror how his friend was sent away several meters in the air.

Hephaestion got back on his feet as fast as he could, a cut bleeding in his forehead. He turned to Alexander, who was already riding towards him, followed by Attalus.

"Stay back!", he ordered the prince from the distance, still panting, "there are traps underground!"

Alexander instantly stopped.

Hephaestion turned to Attalus, who was staring at him with concern.

"_You cannot afford to lose"_,

The general's words echoed in his mind,

"_The prince already risked his life for you, don't ever let it happen again…"_

And the Persians begun to move.

The odd-looking soldiers drew their daggers out of nowhere and marched against Hephaestion and his remaining men.

The Macedonians charged against the Persians.

Just before their swords clashed, the Persians daggers were glowing red, lighting on fire.

"M-magic…" observed Hephaestion, terrified, yet unable to stop now.

The Persians swung their daggers, emitting red embers that reached Hephaestion's men.

The Macedonians screamed in pain, calcined alive before they could even reach the Persians.

"No!" yelled Hephaestion, watching his men fall.

Despair took over his body and mind. He saw no way out.

Overwhelmed with agony, a frenzy invaded him. He rushed towards the enemy, screaming until his lungs ran out of air. The few remaining soldiers followed him into this suicidal feat.

More traps blew from beneath them as they advanced. Some men flew in the air, while others burned in flames. Only a handful of them were left alive now.

Hephaestion struggled to make his way through. Tripping, falling, dodging. Several times. An arrow pierced his thigh, but that did not stop him. A berserk fever running through his veins fueled him until he finally reached the enemy.

His sword slashed merciless the naked chests of the Persian warriors. One by one they fell, for in close combat they were no match for the Macedonian warriors.

Hephaestion put his sword through the last of his enemies, and the handful of soldiers that followed him cheered to their triumph. At that moment, his muscles relaxed, no longer injected with adrenaline, and he let himself fall on his knees.

"We did it", he chuckled.

But victory was too brief to even taste it.

The dark wall of smoke vanished now completely, revealing behind it an army of hundreds of Persians.

Archers, cavalry, infantry. They all marched against the Macedonians at full speed.

Alexander observed the scene with horror.

"Hephaestion!" he yelled, dashing towards him with despair.

A few meters ahead, an explosion sent Bucephalus flying in the air. Alexander could not react. He flipped backwards and landed on his face, lying unconscious in the ground.

Alexander opened one eye with trouble. His cheek numbed with pain against the rough soil. His ears beeped with the impact and his head wiggled from side to side, disoriented. He took a minute to figure out what happened.

"Bucephalus!" he cried, fearing the worst for his beloved companion, for the horse was nowhere to be found.

He tried to get up, but a sharp pain hit through his right shoulder like a knife.

His arm gave in and he fell flat against the soil again. He whistled with his other hand, calling his horse, struggling to turn and lie on his back.

His eyes met with those of a Persian soldier who awaited with a spear, looking down at him, ready to pierce his chest.

Alexander reacted quickly tripping him with his leg, and agile rolled to the side.

But the soldier grabbed his leg and pierced his ankle with it.

Alexander groaned, suddenly forgetting the feeling on his shoulder and his cheek. The pain was so great he even forgot how to breathe for a moment.

He crawled in all fours, panting, ignoring the stinging feeling on his shoulder every time he moved. His will to live was greater than any possible pain.

But his arms were weak, and his legs were tired.

He stopped, and looked up.

Defeated, his eyes searching for comfort, for a farewell.

"I'm sorry, Hephaestion…", he mumbled.

Piles of bodies spread along the plains. Macedonians, Persians, young, old. All lied awaiting to be eaten by the crows. A boy lied in front of him, his eyes wide opened. For a second, Alexander thought he was alive. He guessed he must have been around 12.

Among the dead bodies of his Macedonian people, he could see Attalus wandering in circles. Dragging his feet, his eyes lost, yelling something, as if looking for someone. Probably him, the prince thought, and the old general looked suddenly older to him.

He saw Hephaestion on his knees, swinging his sword recklessly in the air, Parmenion standing by his side and fighting away the soldiers that surrounded them.

"_I couldn't keep our promise… I'll have to go first…"_ He though, closing his eyes and commending himself to the gods…

A sudden loud roar in the distance made him open his eyes again.

King Philippe and his Ionian Hetairoi rode into the battlefield, annihilating everything in their path.

The prince sobbed and chuckled, his eyes shinning with hope and tearing with gratefulness for being alive.

"Not so fast…"

The Persian warrior who had been following him grabbed him by his injured leg, dragging him closer to finish his job. But before he could raise his lance, he was kicked by a horse on the head, falling on the ground.

"Bucephalus!" Alexander called, and his horse came by his side. Alexander grabbed onto the animal's neck, and the horse pulled to help him up. He was too weak to ride, but he found the strength to hold his dagger.

Arrows fell upon the battlefield, the explosions continued. But the king and his riders did not stop. Watching this, the Persian army begun to hesitate, the troops started their retreat.

Alexander looked for Hephaestion. He was lying unconscious in Parmenion's arms, who had already started making his way back to the city gates.

Leaning on Bucephalus, Alexander followed them by a distance in between the sea of soldiers.

"My Lord!", Attalus called him, striking down the last few Persians around them to make his way towards him.

The Hetairoi chanted their victory, rising their swords and spears to celebrate.

Alexander took a deep breath.

"I'm glad you are alright", he said.

"You are alive, my boy…" said Attalus, crying tears of joy.

He scanned the prince from the feet to the head, and something caught his eye.

"What is that odd, glowing thing on your wrist?" asked the general.

"What?"

Alexander looked at his bracelet. A bright blue glowed on his wrist.

He looked around in haste, suddenly remembering what that glow meant.

From the top on a hill, a silhouette in a cloak stood there staring at the king.

Alexander watched it mumbling some words, an arm stretching forward, hand extended in the direction of the king.

His face slowly disfigured by the certainty of what his eyes would encounter next.

"FATHER!"

King Phillip lied on the ground with a flaming arrow through his chest.


	14. The Oracle

**Chapter 14: The Oracle**

"Step aside!" Queen Olympias yelled as she made her way through the ocean of people heading out of the palace.

"Where is he?" She asked, storming into king Philip's room. "Is it true?"

The king lied still in his bed. An arrow through his chest. Alexander standing by his side, grim-faced.

"Mother…"

Olympias face relaxed when he saw the king's chest slightly moving. Alexander couldn't tell if out of relief or disappointment.

"Will he survive?" She asked

"He is very weak…" Said Alexander, trying to keep calm and collected

The king suddenly moved his arms and groaned as he tried to sit.

"My lord! You shouldn't move!" said Attalus

"I'm… I'm f-fine…" the king said, breathing with trouble, holding onto Alexander's shoulder. "Help me up, boy"

"But-" Protested the prince, yet he obeyed, nonetheless.

The king paused to catch his breath.

"W-we need to call a-a council meeting…" He finally said.

"What?" said the prince "A meeting? Now?"

At that moment, Eurydice, entered the room in tears with the news of his deadly injured husband.

"Please," Olympia scoffed, "Can you be more ridiculous? Stop being so dramatic. For once, this is not about you"

The young woman broke in tears and left the room as fast and sudden as she came.

The king shook his head and sighed, too tired to even disapprove of Olympia's attitude. He tried to speak, but only a dry cough came out of his mouth. He grabbed Alexander's arm tightly.

"Somebody help him!" Yelled the prince

"King Phillip!" Cried Orestys. The bodyguard had not moved one moment from the king's side.

"Now you are worried?!" Said Attalus, close to tears, "This is all your fault! If you would have done your job as a bodyguard, he wouldn't have-"

"Attalus! Enough! Now is not the time for this!" Yelled the prince "He is dying, go get help, somebody…. get Waver!"

Oretys turned to the general, raging with anger.

"If you would have done your job as a general and had a better strategy, we shouldn't need to come save you!" Pointed out Orestys "And now he is dying!"

"Enough!" Suddenly yelled the king, still panting. "I am still alive! And if you don't stop arguing I will lock you both in the dungeons, I have enough with my wives fighting… and now you too! Now, do as the prince said and go get that mage boy!"

With his last bit of energy left, he lied back again and passed out.

Attalus and Orestys exchanged looks, then they both rushed out the door to find help.

The old court physician placed a cloth soaked in cold water on the king's forehead. He did as much as he could to stop the pain, but there was little he could do to remove the arrow, impregnated with magic.

Alexander waited impatiently, his eyes became watery watching his father barely breathing, too scared to look away, he felt Olympia's hand on his head.

In the other end of the palace, Waver ran from one place to another, restless taking care of his new patients.

"Cleo!" He called the princess, who had been supporting him during the whole siege, "More bandages please!"

"Coming!" The princess said, helping a boy up to drink some water

"Cleo!" Called Ptolemy from the other side "More water here!"

"I'm coming!"

"Cleo!" Called Waver again

"I heard you! I can't be in two places at the same time! Wait a minute!" The princess said, bringing some bandages for Waver in haste.

She had been running from one side to another, there were only three of them and many injured. On top of that, Waver and Ptolemy had been arguing and decided not to talk to each other.

"The water!" called Ptolemy again

"Can you tell him to leave some water for the younger ones too?" Asked Waver

She rolled her eyes and rushed to grab some water for Ptolemy

"Here" She gave him a bowl with water. Their hands slightly touched, and Ptolemy almost dropped it. She didn't seem to notice.

"I-I'm ok here. Go help Waver" He suddenly said without looking at her, "And tell him that he can stop being a child and he can't be mad at me forever because I smacked him. And also tell him that-"

"You tell him… I am getting tired of this already" She sighed and walked away.

They continued like that until the siege finished, and the news of the triumphant battle arrived to the palace gates, along with the news of the king being injured.

Waver, Ptolemy and Cleo listened to the servant who brought the bad news.

"We won the war, but the king has been seriously injured"

Ptolemy discretely observed Cleo's reaction. Her hand was shacking. He felt the sudden desperate need to hold it.

"Is he alive?" She asked, taking a deep breath

"Y-yes, I understand he is. Although, we are not sure in what conditions…"

She slowly bent down. Ptolemy and Waver looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

But to their surprise, Cleo stood back up with a bowl of water in her hands and turned her back to them.

"Then… there is nothing I can do about it" She said as she walked.

"Cleo…" Ptolemy said, gently grabbing her arm

She kept walking, kneeling beside a boy who lied injured. He was burning in fever, missing an arm.

"They need us. There is still work to do here" She said, placing a wet cloth on the boy's forehead. "Going to see my father and cry at his bed won't help anyone. Here I can be of more help…"

Waver followed her in silence

"Hand me over those potions, Ptolemy" He said. Then smiled at him.

Ptolemy nodded, acknowledging they were no longer arguing.

He grabbed the tiny bottles that Waver pointed and passed them to him.

"Thanks"

"No need to thank me"

Suddenly Attalus and Orestys stormed in.

"Waver Velvet!" They both called for him in unison

"The king needs you!" Said the general

"Me?! But… I don't…I'm not…" Waver panicked

"Come with us immediately!" Begged the guard

Waver entered the king's room, feeling everyone's eyes on him at the same time. Alexander was there. By the king's side. His father's side. His armor was completely teared apart, his ankle covered in blood. His mother held his hand.

Became suddenly a kid to Waver's eyes. Defenseless, helpless. A scared little boy who feared for his father's life. And it struck him that, despite all he complained about the king, he still loved his father.

"Please" Asked Olympias. Her deep blue eyes begged him. Not for her, but to stop her son's pain.

Waver walked slowly closer to the king's side. Orestys removed the covers, revealing an arrow through the man's chest.

Waver gulped and reached for it carefully to remove it. But something did not allow him. A stinging feeling pierced through his hand as he did. Yet he couldn't see anything touching it.

"It's impossible to remove it" Said the old physician, who had been standing by the king's side. "I've tried multiple times."

Waver nodded, aware of the situation. He gave Alexander a quick glance, and took a deep breath.

Then he closed his eyes as he recited a spell, bringing his hands to his face, fingertips touching his eyelids.

When he opened his eyes, his iris had changed to a bright purple color. The people in the room gasped. All except Alexander.

"The arrow is cursed" Waver said, his eyes following the dark energy swirling around the arrow. Nobody else in the room was able to see them.

Waver placed his hands on the king's chest, making him groan slightly. He looked down at his own arm, and his bracelet was emitting a bright blue gleam. With that same hand, he reached for the arrow. The blue glow casted away the shadows around it. He pulled the arrow, but it was not enough to take it out. He used his other hand, but again the dark energy rejected it. Alexander observed this, anxiously, then something occurred to him

"The bracelet…", he thought out loud, noticing his bracelet was glowing too.

He ran towards Waver and helped him with one hand.

They pulled and kept pulling but the arrow didn't move, until it suddenly crashed into shards, vanishing in the air.

The king coughed as he felt the air back into his lungs all at once.

"Father!" Said the prince, smiling with relief.

Olympias instantly held the prince in her arms.

"The king lives!" Announced the old physician, and the whole room cheered and jumped in excitement around the king.

Waver sighed, relieved, a little overwhelmed by the commotion.

He used that moment of distraction to slowly exit the room in silence, making his way back to help Cleo and Ptolemy.

Half-way in the corridor, he heard fast footsteps running behind him.

"Waver!" Called Alexander, limping as he ran towards him

"Hey you shouldn't be-"

But before he could finish, Alexander had pounced over him, holding him tight

"Thank you" The prince said, his emotions overflowing

"What are you-"

"Thank you!" He repeated, this time burying his face into Waver's shoulder

Waver thought of many things to say, but felt like none of them would have come out as he wanted them.

Instead, he just stood there. His hands waving on his sides, hesitant, until they found their way around Alexander's waist.

"_Is he crying?"_ Waver wondered, too scared to move away. He turned his face only a little, just to subtly look at him. Alexander did the same, and their cheeks touched.

"Oh, there you are!" Called a voice all of a sudden.

Both instantly parted and turned, as if they were doing something wrong. Hephaestion was standing there in a corner, smiling. None of them heard him coming. For how long had he been there standing?

"Sorry to interrupt you, boys, but the king is calling…" Said Hephaestion, gesturing with his head in the direction of the king's room

Alexander chuckled, but Waver was not amused.

"Hey, you should go with Waver and get that leg checked…" Said Alexander

"Maybe I'll stop by later" he said, winking at Waver

"S-sure. I better go back to work" Said Waver, somehow uncomfortable, "See you guys later"

He walked away in a fast pace and an awkward feeling.

Hephaestion headed back to the throne room first, followed by Alexander.

"Wait! You are walking too fast!" Complained Alexander, trying to catch up with him, but the closer he got the faster Hephaestion seemed to go.

"Slow down! How the hell does your leg not hurt! Look you are still bleeding! Can't you just-"

"I said I'm fine!" He yelled, without turning or stopping

"Why are you yelling? Are you mad at me?"

"I'm- No… I'm not _mad_…"

"Yes, you are"

Hephaestion scoffed. "Did you do anything to make me mad?"

"No, but-"

"Then I don't have any reason to be mad at you"

"Then why are you-"

"Can you just leave me alone for a minute!?" Hephaestion suddenly turned and grabbed him, violently pinning him against the wall

Alexander frowned, grabbing his wrists gently

"Never…" He said, staring into his deep blue eyes, apologetic.

Hephaestion sighed. His face and hands relaxed. He slowly turned his back and begun walking again.

Alexander followed him in silence.

When they entered the room king Phillip was already conscious and sitting in bed.

"Son" He called for the prince, still short of breath "I need you to call an urgent meeting"

"What? But father, you are too weak"

"Alexandros" The king paused to gather the strength to move his legs to the side and get up, with Orestys' help. "Do as I say"

Everyone in the room looked at Alexander, who quickly left to the throne room. Everyone else followed.

A few minutes later Alexander had gathered all the council members. In one corner, Attalus argued with Parmenion and the other army's members of the council. The lords of Pella discussed the business of war and their loss in the back of the room, while the priests prepared for the oracle ritual in the middle of the room.

The king joined them in the middle of the meeting, when he was finally able to get on his feet.

The room was noisy, and Alexander stood in the middle with his arms crossed in sign of discontent.

"Your highness," welcomed him Attalus, "we were just debating-"

"Everybody quiet now" He said in a high yet calmed voice

"You grace, if I may-" Said the oldest man in the room, the sage who led the priests

"You may not right now"

Everyone suddenly went quiet

"How many men do we have left?" Asked the king as he sat on the throne.

"We are still working on the numbers. The injured are a lot but… it seems that with the help of the new physician and the princess has significantly increase the number of soldiers available for battle"

"My daughter?" He asked, skeptical

"We need our allies, your grace," said the old general, "if we could call the lords for help-"

"The lords…" the king scoffed. "Where were the lords when we needed them against the Persians?"

Parmenion, who never used to be very active during council, stepped forward to talk.

"That is right" he said, and everyone turned to him, "Most negotiations have already failed. Your grace, the other cities' army will flea and hide like rats as soon as they see the Persian alchemists. The only way to create a loyal army is from our own people. Give the men money and a land to fight for and they'll be invincible"

"My king." The head of the wealthiest lords of Pella stepped in. "It is true that in the past the lords from other cities and us have had some differences, but right now we have a solid commercial exchange, and I am sure they will come to our aid if they see the kingdom threatened"

The king sat back, rubbing his beard, thoughtful.

"And what does the oracle say?" He asked the old sage.

"It is unclear yet, your grace…" He said, looking at the oracle. A young priest sat on a chair in the middle of the room, his head down, breathing heavily, sign of his trance state.

"I will have to, for once, agree with them." Said Attalus, "With all due respect… my dear Parmenion, but do you not see the urgency of the situation? We do not have the time to train more men"

"Well, what do you suggest then?" Asked the king

"Political alliance" He said, and most of the people in the council murmured in agreement.

"In other words, marriage" Said Parmenion, giving Alexander a quick look.

"Don't you dare, Attalus…" jumped in Olympias "How dare you decide over my children's future"

"Then I would love to her your alternatives, Olympias" Said the king in a severe tone

"My son is a prince! He will never marry the daughter of some greedy lord who sits there, safely counting his filthy treasures, never fighting a war in his life! My son is a prince, a warrior, born to conquer! He will marry nothing less than a princess or empress! My daughter will be queen one day! I will not let any of you-"

"Enough!" the king yelled. "We need to invade Persia now! Don't you understand? The whole kingdom is in danger and you worry about something insignificant like this? I am sure even Alexandros and Cleopatra are willing to put their kingdom before themselves. You should be ashamed to call yourself a queen…"

Alexandros, who had been observing quietly the whole time, now clenched his fists.

"Father! Do not speak to her like that!" He said, standing next to Parmenion. "We cannot invade Persia now! The men are tired, wounded. They are too weak! You cannot-"

"Silence!" The king turned to him, "The next time you tell your king what he can or cannot do, you will no longer have a place to speak in this council!"

The king had to lie back, out of breath, grunting and holding his chest in pain, coughing.

Alexandros bit his tongue in shame.

After a deep breath, the king spoke again.

"Alexandros…we need to attack, before they attack us again. We were lucky this time. Next time we may not survive…"

"Father-"

"We will leave tomorrow" The king continued

"Can't you see that you are dying!? The men will die too! We need some time to-"

"There is no time! What is my life, or any man's life worth if there is no home to go back to? If there is no kingdom to protect? One day, when you are a king, you will understand"

"You are wrong! That is stupid! There is no kingdom without its people! There is no kingdom without its king!"

"I am warning you, boy! Speak to me like that again and I will put you in the dungeons!"

"You can put me wherever the hell you want! But if you go to Persia tomorrow, you will die! There will be no kingdom left to protect! The only thing you are protecting is your pride!"

"Parmenion! Take him away!" He ordered, and looked away with despise.

Parmenion gave Alexandros a sorry look, shrugging.

"Sorry, kid" He said, grabbing his arm to take him. Alexander fought a little, panting in rage, silently glaring at the king. Parmenion moved his head in disapproval and whispered. "Come on, don't make this harder. Let's go…"

They slowly begun to walk out of the room.

Olympias suddenly walked up to the throne and slapped the king's face.

"_You_ are the one who should be ashamed…", she said with disgust.

The people in the room observed in silence. All except one.

The oracle now laughed hysterically from his chair. Everyone turned to him, murmuring.

"Orestys" The king called his guard, without even looking at the queen, "Have one of your men escort my wife to her room, and make sure she stays there"

The guard signaled with his head and a tall man grabbed Olympias to take her away.

"You coward!" She yelled as she struggled against the guard. "Is this how you treat the prince and the queen?! Is this how you expect people will respect their future king? Shaming an old woman and a kid? You are pathetic!"

The murmur from a moment ago became now loud chatter, the screams and cry of the queen fading as she was taken away.

Only one person in the room smiled.

"What is so funny?" The king asked the oracle

"Nothing…" He said in a low voice and exorbitant eyes. A voice that sounded nothing like the one of a young man, but the deep, inhuman voice of the gods. "Nothing… none of this matters… kings, queens, Persians… nothing. In the end there is something- a greater evil- coming for all of us… it is already here among us, his spies closer than we think…The one who loves but is not loved will bring betrayal. The three pillars will destroy their own foundations letting the palace fall into pieces. And then it will come… to punish us for our sins. Us, the abomination of its own creation. They are here to take what is theirs, to destroy the world as we know it…as we have known it and will know it. Empires will succumb before they rise, heroes will die before they are born. And there is no way to stop it… no one can stop-"

The young man collapsed in his seat.

The council members looked at each other in silence, confused.

The sage went to help the oracle up, but the young man fell unconscious on the floor. The old man held him in his arms, and instantly turned to the king with a horrified expression.

"He is dead…"


	15. A Princess' Duty

**Chapter 15: A Princess' Duty**

Waver had been reading in his room, waiting for the meeting to be over. His eyes followed the characters on the papyrus, but his mind was somewhere else. Every now and then, he would remember Alexander had ordered Ptolemy to take him away, and every time, it never failed to make him upset again. Not because he felt useless -he did not regret staying in the palace to help people- but something else bothered him. Deep down, he was mad at himself. Mad for not being strong enough to fight along the rest of his friends.

"Can I come in?"

Someone suddenly disturbed Waver's thoughts.

"Y-yes?" He said, jumping from his bed.

Waver was surprised to see Hephaestion

"Oh! Hi!"

"What?" Hephaestion asked with a smile, "Were you expecting someone else? A prince, perhaps?"

"N-no! not at all!"

Hephaestion chuckled, somewhat charmed by Waver's innocence

"You are too easy to tease" He said as he watched him blush. "I did say I was going to stop by, didn't I?"

"Yeah" Said Waver, putting his book away. "Yeah I guess you did"

Waver grabbed his medical supplies from the shelf. When he turned Hephaestion was already sitting on the bed.

"Can you remove your robe, please?"

Hephaestion stood and let his robe fall on the floor

"Not entirely!" Said Waver, alarmed

"Huh? Why not?" He asked, his hands on his hips

"J-just…just sit there" Said Waver, looking away

Waver examined Hephaestion's back and torso. He was surprised by how many scars a young body could have. He thought it must have been very hard for him. Most of his wounds were already treated.

He changed his bandages carefully and in silence. Hephaestion stared at him in equal silence.

"How do you feel about Alexandros?" Suddenly asked Hephaestion

Waver dropped the bottle of alcohol he had in his hand

"Why? What do you mean how do I feel?" He said, quickly picking it up

"Do you like him?"

"I mean…y-yes, of course I like him. He is a good prince. He cares about his people…" He said, quickly getting back to putting the bandages.

"Do you care for him?"

"Do you?" asked Waver

Hephaestion smiled

"More than anything in the world" He said, "I love him"

Hephaestion stopped feeling Waver's hands on his back for one moment. He waited, until Waver continued with his bandages in silence.

"You seem to recover quickly" Noted Waver.

"Yeah, it is only this one I'm more concerned about" He said, pointing at his thigh.

Waver removed the bandage and revealed a deep wound left by an arrow.

"We are leaving tomorrow again, so I was thinking if you could do anything to speed up the healing"

"Tomorrow?!" repeated Waver, surprised and disappointed, "but… but that's so soon…"

"I know. But it's the councils' the decision… or rather, the king's decision."

Waver sat by his side on the bed to clean his wound. Then gently pressed against it with his bare hand. Hephaestion let out a quiet moan and closed his eyes in pain.

"I'm sorry, it will be just a minute" Said Waver, and then recited a spell.

"It feels better already" Said Hephaestion, surprised, opening his eyes.

"Yes, but be careful," warned him Waver, removing his hand and letting the deep wound exposed again. "I have only numbed the pain, but the wound is still open. So please don't do anything reckless"

"Yes, my lord!" He joked, getting on his feet. He moved his leg, up and down, relieved.

"And, put some clothes on!" Said Waver, covering his face with his hand and looking away.

"Thank you Waver!" He said, as he kissed his forehead. Then he did a couple of squats to test his legs.

"That's exactly what I mean by reckless! Now go to bed or I will put a hole through your other leg myself! Damn it, you are just like him sometimes… no wonder you get along so well…" He mumbled.

Hephaestion chuckled.

"Yes, mom!" He said as he walked towards the exit.

"Who are you calling-?!"

"Oh! By the way!" He suddenly stopped "Alexandros is in the dungeon being punished. Thought you'd want to know"

"What?! What did that stupid prince do now?!"

"You better go and as him yourself…" He said, and he left the room.

Waver sighed.

"Is he ever going to learn?" He wondered, and made his way to the dungeons

In the garden, just before he turned to take the stairs, he thought he heard a noise coming from the bushes. Curious, he walked in that direction. Hiding behind a fountain, a girl crouched sobbing silently.

Waver approached her from the front, in a way he wouldn't scare her, and then he noticed he knew the girl.

"Cleo?" He said in a soft voice

The girl looked up, quickly wiping the tears out of her face.

"W-Waver? W-what are you doing here?" She said, looking at her feet.

Waver said nothing, but sat beside her in silence.

As soon as he did, the girl covered her face and continued crying in silence.

They stayed like that for some time, Waver wasn't sure how much exactly, until Cleo rested her head on Waver's shoulder.

"I just feel so useless" She finally said, now calmed. "Everyone I love goes out there and fights, and I am just here worrying and crying… that is the only thing I am good at… that and marrying some rich lord that owns a big army…that is the only thing I can be useful for… and apparently that's what they are planning for me…"

She smiled pitifully.

"That is not true, we helped a lot of people during the siege. They couldn't have survived without us" He said, "Or… at least that is what I like to tell myself…"

She looked at him, slightly confused by his way of cheering her up. He smiled, and his words suddenly made sense.

"I was always running behind my brother… Ever since I was a child, always tagging along in his adventures with his friends." She sighed. "But they never let me. I was too weak. I trained with them but always ended up getting hurt, and my brother worried. Except Ptolemy. He never treated me like a princess. We became close friends when he agreed to train me in secret, just to see Alexander's face when I kicked his ass."

Waver chuckled at the picture of Alexander's face when being beaten.

"But after that we kept meeting in secret for years. We just got used to it, and enjoyed spending time together. After some time, we stopped training. I could see he was becoming uncomfortable by hurting me and being in close contact with me as I grew older. But we would still meet every day. Here, at this same place, by this fountain…"

Waver listened to her attentively. They both went silence for a long while, listening to the water falling from the fountain.

"I am a very mediocre mage," He finally said.

"You?" Cleo asked, skeptical

"It's true. I'm behind most of my classmates. I don't have a powerful linage nor can provide a good source of mana. I cannot even do simple spells without the help of magical enhancement artifacts…"

He smiled, shrugging

"But I know my own strength" He said with determination, looking up at the stars. "Some people have physical strength, but other have different kinds of strength. I am very knowledgeable and have good deduction skills, but I am terrible at fighting, and I have to rely on others for that, as they rely on me for other things"

Waver turned to Cleo, placing his hands on her shoulders

"You are stronger than you think, Cleo. You just have to find your own strength, and you will one day become a great ruler"

The girl's eyes became watery, moved by his words. She smiled, speechless, and fought to keep the tears in.

"Once, a wise friend told me: _"The inferiority you feel is actually the quality of a king_", he said. _"You may grumble a lot, but you know how small you are, and yet you still struggle to reach heights greater than you can imagine_""

Waver recited proudly.

Cleo chuckled, amused.

"That must have been a very wise friend"

"The wisest I've ever met"

Cleo gave him a warm, charming smile.

"No wonder my brother likes you so much. You are really endearing"

Waver blushed violently.

"Huh?!"

"Thank you, Waver", she said, holding his hand. "Thank you for listening, and for taking care of my brother"

Waver gave her a shy smile, and looked away, embarrassed.

"W-we should go see Alexander. He's been locked up"

"Really? Not again! He'll see when I get there!" She said, and they both got up to go see him.

"Hey, Waver?" Cleo suddenly stopped before they took the stairs

"Yes?"

"Don't tell anyone…about what we talked before… please"

"About what? I have been reading in my room this whole time. I don't remember having any conversation with you" He said as he went down the stairs

Cleo smiled and followed him.

The dungeon was small and dark. Only a few cells with thugs and crazy people. When they walked through the corridor, a man walked up to them holding onto the wooden bars that kept him away from them. He laughed when Cleo and Waver jumped out of scare.

In the last cell, Alexander awaited in silence.

"Cleo," he whispered, "keep watch, I'll take him out"

She nodded and stood close to the wall, vigilant.

Waver looked behind the wooden bars. Alexander sat with his head down and hands tied over his head. Barefoot, no armor, his skin completely exposed, except for his skirt.

Waver thought how hard it must have been to be the king's son and felt deeply sorry for him.

"How long do you plan on staring from there?" Alexander asked without moving or looking, surprisingly energetic and sassy for someone who had been locked up in a dungeon.

"W-who is staring!" Yelled Waver.

"Well, are you here to free me or to watch me suffer?"

Waver's jaw drop, trying to think of something to reply with

"That depends…!" He said, crossing his arms and looking away, arrogantly

"On what?"

"On how you behave"

"Oh?" Alexander looked up, amused, "I didn't know you were such a sadist, Waver!"

"Shut up, you idiot. Do you want me to free you or not?" He asked, casting a spell to break into the cell.

"That depends" Said the prince, mocking him, intentionally trying to sound like Waver a moment ago.

Waver went inside the cell and stood in front of him, looking down at him. His hands on his hips, sign of annoyance.

"Depends on _what_?" He said in a challenging voice, bending to get to Alexander's level.

Alexander chuckled at Waver's tense eyebrows.

"What's so funny?!" Waver, stomped his foot in disapproval. "Maybe I should leave you here to rot!"

"Come on Waver, just get me out of here, my arms are cramped!" The prince whined, apologetic.

"If you beg, maybe I'll think about it"

Alexander chuckled, both annoyed and amused. "Excuse me? I'm still the prince, I could have you arrested for abusing your prince, you know?"

"Yes, yes. But then we would both be stuck down here, and I wouldn't be able to get you out of here. That could be a problem" He said bringing a hand to his chin, thoughtful.

"Please?"

"Also, I wouldn't want to have you as a cell mate, so-"

"Waver!" whined Alexander, "Please!"

Waver turned to him, Alexander was staring at him with a troubled face, begging him with his eyes. He felt suddenly guilty, yet he couldn't help to continue.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you" He said, putting his hand behind his ear

"Please, please, please!"

"Please what?"

"Please, my lord, my savior, my master, my-"

That last word suddenly triggered him.

"Don't call me that…" Said Waver, suddenly serious. Then he knelt to unleash Alexander from his chains in silence.

"What? Master?"

"Don't-"

"Why? You started it…"

"just- just don't", he said, as he gently released the prince's hands.

Alexander rubbed his wrists in silence, keen to notice that something was bothering Waver.

"Thank you, Waver", he said with a smile

Waver returned a shy smile and extended his hand to help him up.

Alexander's legs were numbed from sitting in the same position for a long time. He clung onto Waver, who was not expecting holding Alexander's entire body weight, and they both fell on the floor.

Cleo heard the loud noise of the fall and peeked inside.

"What was-"

Alexander lied on top of Waver, who was struggling to get him off him.

"Cleo!" Said Alexander

"What are you doing? I'm still here you know?" She said, covering her eyes.

"What? No! We are-"Explained Waver

"But I can leave if you want me to…" She went on

A sound of footsteps on the stairs alarmed her.

"Guys… you can do that after… let's go". Whispered Cleo.

"I'm trying!" Claimed Waver, finally able to get up. He helped Alexander up and helped him walk with his arm around his neck.

As soon as they stepped out of the cell, a tall soldier stopped them.

"Parmenion…" Said Cleo, clinging to the soldier's arm. "It's my fault. I asked Waver to release him. Please don't tell my father!"

"I am not here for that, my dear" He said, in an unusual soft tone.

"What happened?" asked Alexander

"Your mother… we can't find her. She was supposed to be locked in her room. We found the guards outside her room dead."

Cleo gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth.

"She has been kidnapped!" Claimed Alexander, alarmed.

Parmenion sighed, trying to find the right words.

"I'm sorry, but… I am afraid she killed the guards… and fled to Epirus to seek protection under her brother's domain. Olympias turned out to be the spy within the palace conspiring against the king, and she is now leading the rebellion against King Phillip to take the throne. The kingdom is at the edge of a civil war"


	16. Interlude:Into the Darkness of the Woods

**Interlude I : Into the Darkness of the Woods.**

The men marched through the woods, slowing their pace as the night fell. Hundreds of armors echoed in the silent, deep forest as they settled in for camping. The most experienced men put up their tents in a few minutes, and now began to gather wood to start a fire.

In the middle of the forest Alexander, Ptolemy and Hephaestion gathered around a campfire.

"I don't think my butt can handle another long trip", complained Hephaestion, rubbing his sore butt.

"Well, you'll have to manage somehow…" Said Ptolemy, sitting by his side, using a think log as a seat, "This is only the first war we are marching into"

"There won't be any war" Said Alexander, joining Ptolemy. "At least not within the kingdom…"

"Do you think you can convince her?" Asked Ptolemy, taking out his lance for sharpening.

"I'll have to" He said, grabbing a stick to play around with it, poking the ground

Hephaestion sat by his side on the ground, wincing when feeling the rough surface underneath him.

"You still don't believe she did it, do you?" Asked Hephaestion, hugging his knees.

"I don't know what I believe…" Said Alexander, now using the stick to move around the burning logs in the campfire. "But she is my mother. I want to hear it from her. I want to hear what she has to say"

"And if she did it?" Asked Ptolemy. "If she did kill the guard and conspired against the King?"

Alexander played around with the stick in silence.

A loud sound coming from behind them suddenly interrupted their conversation. They turned to see Waver struggling to put up his tent. Stakes and fabric all over the place.

Hephaestion and Ptolemy sighed.

"If… if she did betray us, and if she refuses to negotiate, then… then we'll have no option but to fight" Finally said Alexander, throwing the stick into the fire to burn with the rest of the logs.

They continued to observe Waiver trying to build his tent with frustration. Another pair of hands came from inside it, trying to hold the sheet still while Waver buried the stakes.

"Also… what is she doing here?" Asked Hephaestion discretely, pointing towards Waver's direction

"She insisted in coming, so I couldn't say no" Alexander shrugged with an awkward smile

The tent fell again. Struggling to unwrap themselves out from it, Waver and princess Cleopatra emerged from under the large sheet of fabric.

"She shouldn't have come" Said Ptolemy, annoyed. "She is only going to cause trouble. We can't fight if we have to protect her _and_ Waver"

"Stop worrying too much! They'll be fine. They can protect themselves and stay in the back", Alexander said, confident

Ptolemy scoffed

"Listen… When they are in trouble -and they will be- don't come to me asking for help. You are responsible for bringing them." He said, frowning at their next failed attempt to put up the tent.

"Yes, yes. We know." Hephaestion and Alexander said in unison. Then watched Ptolemy walk towards Waver and Cleo, showing them how to properly set the tent.

In the middle of the night, Waver woke up to the hoot of an owl that rested right above his tent. He lied down in the rock-hard ground in silence for a few minutes, deciding after a while that it would be impossible to sleep. He went outside and saw one last campfire that was still lit far away.

He followed it, and saw a soldier swinging his sword against a tree. Waver hid and observed from behind another tree, curious. Until the soldier finally gave up, sitting on the ground and panting.

Alexander suddenly came from the woods, helping the soldier up.

The soldier removed the helmet, letting a long red braid show.

"Cleo?" Whispered Waver to himself

Alexander now walked around her in circles, talking. She held her sword in front of her, listening. Alexander hit her with his dagger in multiple spots, soft enough to not make a loud sound against the armor, but hard enough to bring her to her knees. He helped her up once again, and she pointed her sword at him.

Waver smiled, wondering what it would feel to have a sibling. He observed them train for a few minutes, and then begun to feel tired again, making his way back to his tent.

A full moon shone up in the sky above the quiet army, deeply asleep in their tents. Only a few rays of moonlight sneaked in through the tall branches that covered the forest. Waver had to watch his steps, tripping a few times on dead campfires. Just before he reached his tent, he thought he had seen someone move around in his same direction. He kept walking a few more steps, and now clearly saw someone's shadow, walking around, looking for something between the tents.

"Hey! W-Who's there?!" Yelled Waver, notoriously scared, yet brave, nonetheless. He ran after the shadow, but he tripped and fell, watching the person sneaking into a tent.

Waver quickly stood up and ran behind the person into the tent. He hesitated one moment, grabbing a knife from his pocket.

"Who is there?!" He yelled again, pointing his knife when he entered the tent.

But the tent was empty.

Waver felt a brief relief, instantly followed by the greater fear.

"W-What the-?" He wondered, looking around. The tent was definitely empty. No shadow, no stranger. Not even a soldier sleeping in there. Had he imagined it all?

He came to his knees and sat there for a moment, thinking. Maybe he was just being paranoid. He put his knife away and crawled his way out of the tent with caution.

Just before he exited, the soldier whose tent belonged to came back inside.

"Waver?"

Alexander looked down at him.

He was carrying a bucket with water and wore no armor. Only his leather skirt.

"What are you doing in my tent?" He asked, putting the bucket down

Waver, still in all fours, chuckled awkwardly.

"I-I thought I saw… something" He said as he sat on his knees.

"What?"

"Some sort of… shadow" He said playing with his fingers, suddenly embarrassed by realizing how silly he sounded

"A shadow?" Alexander said, wiping the sweat out of his neck. He then removed his skirt, now completely naked.

Waver nodded, looking away.

"Waver, if you are just making excuses to sneak into my tent-"

"I'm not!"

"Relax, I'm just joking." He said, sitting on a blanket. "Anyway, since you are here… come help me out. I'm exhausted"

"Help you with what?"

Alexander soaked a piece of cloth into the bucket of water and handed him over to Waver

"I always have the servants to do it for me, so I'm no good at it", he said, turning his back at him.

Waver frowned at him, hesitant.

"Come on now, your prince has given you an order" He insisted, shaking the cloth.

Waver snapped the cloth out of his hand and muttered a curse, yet he obeyed either way. He sat behind him and rubbed his back and shoulders.

"Were you helping Cleo train?" Waver asked, as he soaked the cloth in more clean, fresh water.

"Were you spying on us?"

"Don't be stupid" He said, whipping his back with the wet cloth.

Alexander crouched and moaned in pain. Waver noticed he still had some open wounds on his back.

"Oh! My bad!" He said, softly rubbing his back again.

"Hey, shouldn't you take it easy? You are still not completely recovered from your last battle. If you keep fighting like this…" Waver stared at his back with concern.

Alexander slightly turned to him, looking over his shoulder

"I didn't think you cared about me that much" He said, watching Waver's painful expression.

Waver didn't reply, but his silence said more than enough. He kept rubbing Alexander's shoulders in silence, feeling his eyes on him, but trying to ignore it.

"Maybe I should get injured more often… it seems this is the only way to get this kind of treatment from you. I've never seen you so soft and compliant…" He said as he grinned, his eyes still fixed on Waver

Waver was not amused.

"Hey… I'm serious…", he said, annoyed, checking Alexander's scars on his back with his fingers.

Alexander suddenly turned his whole body towards him, grabbing his wrist.

"So am I…" He said, now with a serious expression.

He took the cloth away from Waver's hand and threw it on the floor. His eyes went from Waver's eyes to his mouth, several times, faster each time as he came closer to him.

Waver felt a wave of heat rushing up to his face all at once.

"What if… if I wanted you to treat me gently like this all the time?" Alexander said, and his words reached the corner of Waver's mouth as their noses touched.

Waver's stomach tightened in excitement, gasping when his lips touched Alexander's.

But that feeling quickly faded as a nostalgic feeling invaded Waver's mind. _"All the time?"_ He thought with bitterness, reminding himself that he had to leave someday, rather sooner than later.

Alexander leaned over, pulling Waver closer by his wrist and wrapping his other arm around Waver's waist.

Waver softly pushed Alexander away, trying to resist the urge to kiss him back. His eyebrows curled in a painful expression from fighting his own desire. But his hands easily gave in grabbing desperately onto Alexander's shoulder, squeezing it as his lips found their way around Alexander's mouth. Alexander let go of his wrist, now holding Waver's head, sinking his fingers into his hair as he deepened the kiss.

Waver was numbed by a brief moment of ecstatic sensations, only to come into his senses a few seconds later.

He turned his face to the side, catching his breath. Alexander frowned, panting, almost in pain. He rested his forehead on Waver's shoulder, gently kissing his arm.

Waver coughed nervously

"If… if you don't take care of yourself, you'll die before I can even take care of you" He said, poking Alexander's head repeatedly.

Alexander whined in disapproval, rubbing his head against Waver's shoulder, softly biting his arm.

Waver gently held Alexander's head away from him, and slowly got up, with the excuse of getting the cloth that Alexander threw away a moment ago.

Alexander dropped to the ground. He clenched his fist, squeezing the earth underneath it, and scoffed in disappointment.

Waver pulled him by the arm to help him up. Then washed Alexander's face and hands with the freshly soaked cloth.

"Now stop moving or I'll have to wash you again" He threatened the prince.

"You are so mean" He said, pouting like a spoiled child

"Promise me you won't get yourself killed" Waver demanded, pointing his finger at him.

"Fine…"

"…And that you will take care of your wounds" He said, now wiping down his chest "That includes no more midnight training sessions…"

"I know, but I can't let Cleo by herself…"

Waver soaked the cloth once again. He now held up Alexander's right arm, and slowly wiped it from shoulder to wrist.

"You know, she is stronger and smarter than you all think", Waver said as he softly wiped Alexander's neck.

Alexander turned his face and his cheek touched Waver's. He felt the chills down his spine as Alexander kissed his ear.

Waver took a deep breath, and grabbed Alexander's chin, wiping his smile away with the cloth.

Alexander sighed, giving up.

"No, I know she is strong. She is my sister." He continued "We all know. I just can't help wanting to protect the people that I love"

Waver sunk the cloth under the water and played with it for a bit, thoughtful

"Not everyone…" He said, still looking down at the cloth dancing in the water

"What do you mean?"

"What about Hephaestion?"

Alexander turned to him, confused

"During… during the battle…You sent me away, but you let Hephaestion stay by your side…" He slightly tilted his head to look at him, his hand still in the water.

"Do you not want to protect him too?"

"That's… different", Alexander turned his back. Then he started to undo his braid.

"But you love him…" Said Waver, more like a statement than a question.

Alexander sat in silence, brushing his hair with his fingers. Then he leaned back resting on his elbows and looked up, letting his long, auburn curls hang, and signaled Waver with his hand to wash his hair.

Waver sighed, slightly annoyed by him dodging his question, then brought the bucket with him to dip Alexander hair in it.

Alexander closed his eyes, relaxing to Waver's hands massaging his scalp in silence.

"Hey, Alexander?" Waver said after a while.

"Huh?" He muttered with his eyes still closed, almost asleep

Waver stopped massaging to drain the water out of his hair, moving the bucket away.

"Can I…" He finally said, "… Is it OK… if I fight by your side?"

Alexander sat up and turned to Waver, who was staring at him with determination.

The prince sighed, then smiled at him.

"I guess I can't have Ptolemy knock you out every time it gets dangerous" He said, brushing his hair back with his fingers. A few drops ran down his chest to his torso.

"Don't even remind me…" He said, trying his best to focus on that unpleasant memory to deviate his thoughts from the view he had in front of him.

"Do you understand what it means to be in my army?" Alexander said with a smirk, wrapping a tiny robe around his waist. "This means you cannot turn back…"

"As a wise friend once told me, _"I shall grieve, and I shall weep. But I shall never regret", _and I live by that"

Alexander chuckled, amused.

"This friend of yours…he seems indeed very wise. He may be a little lame at times, but he is right"

"You think so?", he laughed awkwardly, slightly confused by Alexander's reaction to his own words from his future self.

"Now go get some rest" Said Alexander "Unless you are here to spend the night with me, then-"

"Good night!" Waver said as he rushed out of the tent, anxiously

When he stepped out, his face met directly with Hephaestion, who was standing outside the tent.

"He-Hephaestion" Said Waver, unable to hide his surprise

"Oh" He said, equally surprised "Sorry, I uh- I went to take a leak and I guess… I guess I lost my way to my tent" He chuckled nervously "I must be still asleep"

"Oh" Waver said, not knowing what to reply

"Anyway, good night, Waver", He said, as he walked away

Waver took a deep breath. He thought his heart couldn't bare any more emotions for the day. He went back to his tent and fell asleep as soon as his head touched the ground.

Across the forest, the moonlight cast a grisly shadow upon the camp. The shadow slowly materialized into the shape of a man, who sneaked in between the tents where hundreds of soldiers slept soundly before their battle, as if it was their last night on Earth. The man roamed between the tents as if looking for something, until he entered into one of them.

A young man slept inside. The man stood closer to him, making sure he was asleep, and then whispered something into his ear. The boy shook his head, his golden locks covering his angelic face, now grimed with fear. Then the boy sat up, panting heavily, as if woken up from a nightmare. He looked around, but nobody was there to find. Unable to sleep, he went for a walk, washed his face in the river near by. His eyes, the ones of a wild animal. Black and deep and thirsty for blood. He wandered around for a while. His face sweating, his palms shaking, fighting away the bloodlust taking over him. A voice inside his head whispering. A voice that came from his own, deepest, darkest thoughts. And then the darkness took over. For a brief moment he blacked out.

When he opened his eyes, he was standing in front of someone else's tent. Someone else came out, exchanged with him some words that he couldn't really figure out. Then he went back to bed, confused, wondering if he had dreamed it all.


	17. The Mother of Rulers

**Chapter 17: The Mother of Rulers -Part I-**

When Waver stepped out of his tent at dawn, the men where already wearing their armors, gathering for a quick meal before they left the forest towards the shore where their ships waited for them.

He saw a small crowd gathering around Alexander and Cleo, who had been sparring for a while. Ptolemy suddenly jumped in from among the soldiers, watching Alexander knock his sister down to the grass.

"Excuse me!" He said, making his way through the crowd. "Alright, that's enough. It's time for breakfast". He pushed Alexander away.

"I'm OK", Said Cleo, panting, struggling to get back on her feet.

Ptolemy watched her, hesitant.

She went for another blow with her dagger, which Alexander dodged just in time, grabbing her arm against her back to immobilize her.

"Ah!" She dropped the weapon.

"Alexandros-" Ptolemy turned to him with a troubled look.

"Ptolemy…" Cleo turned to him, giving him a defiant look, "Do you forget who thought me how to fight?"

In a sudden smooth movement, Cleo picked up a bow with her foot, then grabbed it with her free hand to use the string to choke Alexander. He let go of her immediately, going into a coughing fit. She used that moment of distraction to trip him over.

"I sure did not teach you that…" Ptolemy scoffed with a smirk.

"Not fair!" Whined Alexander from the floor.

"You said to use whatever means I have," she accused, pointing a finger at her brother. "I am just following your own advice. You are stronger than me, so I have to find alternatives", she said, a triumphant smile on her face.

Ptolemy chuckled, amused. He looked for Waver in the crowd and gave him a look. Waver's eyebrows raised, smiling and shrugging.

"Ahem…" coughed Alexander, "it's time for breakfast". He got up.

The soldiers slowly begun to scatter. Hephaestion appeared behind them, joining Waver's side.

"What did I miss?" He asked, rubbing his eyes, huge dark circles under them.

"Nothing much, just Alexander running away from Cleo after getting his ass kicked", Ptolemy grinned.

"That is not what happened. I decided to stop because I am hungry" he said, his arms crossed.

They ignored him.

"And what happened to you?", asked Waver, observing Hephaestion's messy hair as he yawned.

"I couldn't sleep last night." He said, pausing to yawn again. "Did we drink last night?"

"No…not that I recall". Said Waver, thoughtful. "Why? are you feeling hungover?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think so. But-"

A sudden, sharp pain pierced his temples. He frowned, bringing a hand to his forehead.

"...I don't know, I feel strange, tired. As if I had been walking all night. And I had this… this strange dream. Like I was sleep walking…but, I can't remember anything, and then..."

He turned to Waver, "…did I talk to you last night, Waver? What were you doing?"

Alexander and Waver exchanged a short, awkward look.

"Y-yes... we talked very briefly, I think", replied Waver

"Really? What did I say?" Hephaestion tilted his head a little, clueless

"Nothing... just that you went to the bathroom"

"Oh" He shrugged.

"Let's eat something", said Alexander, and they all followed him for a quick breakfast.

They joined Parmenion and other soldiers, gathering around a small fire. Parmenion handed each of them a piece of goat cheese and bread as they sat by his side.

"You are very quiet today", Waver observed, watching Alexander play with some breadcrumbs, crumbling in his hand.

"Huh?" Alexander turned to him, distracted.

Waver gently shoved a piece of bread in Alexander's mouth as soon as he opened it to speak. The prince blinked a few times in surprise.

"Eat. You'll need it." Said Waver, now taking a bite from his own cheese.

"He is right." Agreed Hephaestion with a faint smile.

"I'm OK." Lied Alexander, dropping the water from the bag he had been holding without taking a single sip.

"Oh yeah?" Waver raised his voice, "Then why are you spilling all your water on the ground!?" He grabbed Alexander's wrist, taking the bag away from him.

"AH?!" Alexander yelled, alarmed by his own clumsiness.

Hephaestion watched them argue, as he usually did during breakfast back in the palace. He chuckled, shaking his head from side to side, somehow relived. Even with a kingdom at stake, with the weight of a war on his shoulders, Alexandros was still Alexandros.

But something begun to bother him. A sudden ringing in his ears. The sounds around him all faded and mixed in a chaotic fog that pierced though his brain, unable to see.

"_Shut up"_. A voice inside his head.

"_Shut up"._ Was it his own voice?

"Hephaestion". Someone screams his name.

He sees Alexander looking at him, his mouth is moving, yet he cannot hear him.

"…Hephaestion, say something! Waver is bullying me-"

"Shut up!" Hephaestion yells, his voice raspy and irritated.

Alexander stares at him, speechless.

"Shut up! All of you! I am tired of your bullshit!"

Hephaestion now got up, looking down at Alexander.

"…I'm tired of _you_ fooling around carelessly, dragging everyone with you, selfishly!"

"Hephaestion…", Alexander now stood up, defensive, and walked towards him, "…what are you-".

As he came closer, he noticed there was something off with his face. He looked pale, shaky, his eyes the ones of a man who had seen horrible things.

He stopped and Hephaestion left.

"Hephaestion…" Alexander whispered and followed him.

Alexander found Hephaestion sitting at the riverbank, legs crossed. He was aimlessly tossing some rocks into the stream.

He stopped for a moment when he heard Alexander, took a deep breath and then continued throwing the rock.

Alexander sat by his side in silence.

"You've always been terrible at this…", Alexander said.

Hephaestion scoffed, somewhat annoyed.

"So are you…" He grumbled, and Alexander understood he was not talking about the rocks.

Hephaestion picked another rock from the ground, but Alexander grabbed his hand.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you like that…", Hephaestion turned to him, "I don't know what happened… I-".

"It's fine…" Alexander's face was serene, not a sign of resentment or anger.

"I don't know what happened, it was as if… as if I'm becoming someone else…" He looked away, shaking his head.

Alexander held his hand tighter.

"Fight me", He said after a while.

"What?" Hephaestion looked at him, confused.

Alexander got on his feet and on guard ready to fight.

"Alex-"

But the prince tackled him, tumbling him before he could speak.

"I need some real training before the fight!" Alexander yelled energetically, trying to strangle Hephaestion. "Nobody is a real match like you!"

"Wait- Why are you- ". He protested, struggling to get Alexander off him.

Their legs began to tangle in a struggle to dominate the other, but none of them would give in. Alexander moved more skillfully, but Hephaestion's' thighs were stronger.

"Stop!" Yelled Hephaestion, suddenly finding the strength to push Alexander away.

Alexander rolled to the side and fell on his elbows, panting, yet he jumped back onto Hephaestion like a wild beast a second later.

This time Hephaestion countered him with his fists and brutal strength. Alexander flew back two meters, then fell on his back. Hephaestion jumped onto him, his fists ready for a lethal blow.

He stopped.

He looked at Alexander's face, staring at him with a painful look. His hands knew Alexander's body too well to understand that pain was not physical.

Hephaestion's fist shook and lowered slowly.

"Do it", Alexander groaned.

Hephaestion's lips tightened.

"Something is bothering you…", continued Alexander, breathing with some trouble as a sharp pain pierced his ribs. "I don't know what it is, but I know I am the cause…"

Hephaestion's face softened, his eyes watered with guilt.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered, barely touching Alexander's face with the tip of his fingers. Then slowly moved away from him.

Alexander wrapped his arms around Hephaestion's neck to pull him close, and Hephaestion rested his face on Alexander's chest.

"I insult you… I beat you," Hephaestion chuckled, sadly. "And here you are…"

Alexander shushed him, and gently stroke his head, burying his fingers in those golden locks. Hephaestion took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"And here we are…" He echoed, softly.

A few minutes passed, but they did not seem to notice.

"I don't know what's happening to me lately", Hephaestion said after a while. "It's like…like I'm overwhelmed with rage and I don't know why…"

"It's alright", Alexander whispered. "We've all been under a lot of pressure"

Hephaestion remained quiet, thoughtful.

"I didn't mean it…", he said, slightly embarrassed by the memory of his own words and behaviour, "What I said-"

"I know". Alexander assured him, with his hands around his waist. "I know…"

Hephaestion looked up and their eyes met.

Alexander gave him a warm smile.

Hephaestion smiled back, and their looks lingered within an ocean of reminiscence.

"It's been a while since our fights have ended up like this", pointed Alexander with a faint smile "doesn't it bring you back memories?"

Hephaestion sighed, slowly rolling to the side to get up.

"We are not children anymore, Alexander…"

The prince stared at his friend's back. It was the back of a man. Once soft and weak under his touch, now rough and wounded and distant.

"We should go. The ship awaits…", Hephaestion turned to him, extending his hand to help him up.

Epirus looked more like a fortress than a royal home. Even far away from the river, the soldiers could see its majestic walls that separated the city-state from its enemies.

"We are almost there", Parmenion pointed from the deck, carefully observing the land ahead of them. "We still have some walking to do before we hit the capital. But the fastest way to get there is through these rivers".

He had been to Epirus once. He was still young and would have sworn his memories were altered by the lens of a child. But the fortress stood as tall and impenetrable as in his memories. Back then, king Philip had brought back with him a beautiful young woman. Her beauty had been stuck forever in his mind. Stunning and fierce as the sea. Nobody dared to look at her in the eyes. Men feared her, calling her a witch. Women admired and envied her, labeling her as barbarian. A few months later, that woman gave birth to the first prince and future heir to the throne.

"Thank god…" Waver sighed in relief, disrupting Parmenion's memories. His head was hanging over the deck after being sick the whole trip.

"Don't they have ships in the "London" kingdom?" Asked Alexander, puzzled by Waver's sea-sickness.

"Of course we do! We have the most powerful fleet in-!" He begun to complain, but another wave of heartburning feeling reached his throat.

"Come on Waver, it wasn't that bad, only a few hours". Alexander patted his back, more violently than he intended.

"I can't blame him", Hephaestion said from the floor beside him, his back against the railing. He had been sitting there for the past few hours. "There's barely any wind, and the sun is roasting us alive!"

"We should have begged Apollo for mercy", regretted Alexander. He brought a hand to his forehead, squinting at the clear, deep blue sky. Not a hint of a breeze or a single cloud.

At the bow of the ship, Cleo stood staring at the few waves breaking against the ship. Her hand resting on her chest, her fingers instinctively searching for a missing object that used to hang around her neck. Every now and then, she would forget she had left her expensive silk dresses at Pella, in the comfort of the palace. She now wore a short dress, pouldrons, grieves and leather bracers. Just like the ones worn by the Amazons she had seen many times in paintings and murals. She thought of Penthesilea, and all the stories about Troy that her bother and his friends used to obsess about as kids, and wondered if her name would ever be remembered many years from now.

"Queen Cleopatra…" She mumbled "…No, Empress Cleopatra", she corrected herself, fantasizing about a future in which she would rule some distant kingdom.

The ship turned suddenly as they approached land and Cleo stumbled, dropping her arrows.

She sighed, disillusioned by the hit of reality, and bent to pick up her arrows.

"Sounds good to me…"

Ptolemy appeared behind her, helping her pick up the arrows.

"W-were you listening?!" She nearly yelled, her face burning red.

Ptolemy smiled, without looking at her.

She continued picking up the rest of the arrows in silence. When she went for the last one, her hand met with Ptolemy's.

"I mean it", He said.

She looked up and their eyes met.

"I think you will be a great ruler one day…" He gave her a warm, sincere smile.

She could feel the blood rushing to her ears, speechless.

"… But for now, let me protect you…I mean… me and…Alexander…" He rushed to say, slightly nervous.

He begged her with his eyes. "You don't have to fight…"

Her astonishment quickly turned into disappointment.

Ptolemy extended his hand to help her up.

"Ptolemy", She sighed. Ignoring his hand as she got up.

"Do you know why I always liked you the most among Alexander's friends?"

He stared at her, clueless, a hint of red on his cheeks.

"Remember when we became friends?"

"_How could I ever forget…" _he thought, yet he did not speak.

Cleo smiled, as if she could hear his thoughts.

"It was you who encouraged me to learn how to fight. Remember? While everyone else was too scared about me getting injured, you would push me and trip me, yelling "it's just a scratch!", She giggled, amused by her own impression of a younger Ptolemy.

Ptolemy's stomach tightened, feeling suddenly exposed.

"T-that was… W-we were younger then. Now it's…different", He stuttered.

"Why?" She walked towards to him with determination.

"Because…", The heat of the sun burning his cheeks turned suddenly unbearable.

"Different how, Ptolemy?" Cleo frowned at his hesitation. "What has changed?"

"I-"

The loud howl of a war horn blasted their ears out of the blue, followed by a rocking movement of the ship.

"Watch out!" Cleo ducked, pulling Ptolemy down with her to avoid a wave of arrows crossing from one side of the ship to another.

"Ptolemy! Cleo!" Alexander came running to them.

"The Molossians are here!" He yelled, "They are attacking us!"

They looked around. Dozens of ships surrounding them.

Hephaestion and Waver joined them, struggling with their balance on the rocking ship.

"There's just too many of them!" Yelled Waver.

Alexander grinded his teeth as he watched the first ship of his small fleet beginning to sink.

"I though we were supposed to come here to negotiate first!" Yelled Ptolemy, putting his helmet on in a rush. "We didn't bring an army… we are just a diplomat party! What ever happened to the protocol of war!"

"These men are savages!" Stated a soldier that struggled to break an arrow he had stuck through his arm.

Waver ran over to help him.

"Careful, do not forget your prince share their blood through the queen…" Said Alexander, slightly insulted.

"A witch!" The man shrieked, slapping Waver's hand away. His pupils dilated like those of a wounded wild animal. "Treacherous snake! If it weren't for her, we wouldn't be here!"

"What did you say?!" Alexander grabbed him by his uniform lifting him in the air.

"Leave it. Now it's not the time", Hephaestion pulled his arm gently.

"They are boarding the ship!", Observed Waver.

The arrows stopped as a handful of soldiers boarded their ship. Waver looked around, and the rest of the fleet had already been raided as well. He tried to look for the queen among them, but was not able to see her.

"Alexander, she is not here. If we fight, many people will die in vain…" Waver whispered.

"Damn it!" Alexander put the soldier down, getting his sword ready.

Hephaestion followed him behind, and so did the rest.

"Wait!" Parmenion yelled, a note of despair in his voice, something Alexandros had never witnessed before.

"Alexandros…", the man gripped the prince's shoulders tightly with his massive hands. "…your father…he doesn't know you came here with me…"

"What…?" Alexander looked at him, astonished and confused.

"Your mother…", he paused, finding the right words, "She wants to see you…"

"What are you talking about Parmenion, What-"

"The king sent me to negotiate. And then she…" He stopped. "…the queen wrote to me. She-… if I brought you safely with me, she would reconsider an agreement…"

Alexander felt sick with anger a worry.

"Did you make an agreement with a traitor behind my father's back Parmenion?! Are you crazy!?"

Alexander grabbed Parmenion's wrists now. "Behind _my_ back?! How could you!"

"No" He denied. Alexander felt the anguish in his eyes. "Alexandros…I've known you since you were in your mother's womb…"

"And you have been like a little brother to my father! And still, you-"

"Listen to me. If you still don't trust me, you can exile me, even kill me after this is over!".

Alexander looked around, searching for his mother. Useless, he thought. The queen was safe within the fortress. And her brother, the king of Epirus, did not even know they were coming. Even if he knew, who could guarantee he was willing to negotiate? After all, the Molossians and other tribes of the kingdom of Epirus had always been waiting for an excuse to rebel against Macedon. Now, the prince of Macedon, King Philip's heir to the throne himself, had come to Epirus' doors. With no army. Nothing to negotiate with. He could end his dynasty right then and there.

"Alexandros," Parmenion pushed him away. "Don't let them catch you. We need to get to Olympias".

Parmenion put his hands up in surrender, and his face returned to his regular sharp expression.

The Molossian soldiers now surrounded them.

Alexander and the rest imitated Parmenion. Then the rest of the Macedonians did the same.

One by one, the Molossians seized the entire fleet.

A short man with a long beard and patched eye approached Alexander and the rest.

"We are not here to fight", Alexander spoke, loud and clear, lifting his hand a little higher. Cautious, yet with determination.

"I can see that…" The man mocked him. "Who would have thought the great Macedonian soldiers would surrender without a fight"

The Molossian soldiers around him laughed hysterically.

Alexander's neck tightened, veins popping put, but he did not engage in his provocation. This reaction seemed to throw the short man off.

"Who is your captain!?" He demanded aggressively.

Parmenion stepped forward.

"I am"

The man walked up to him, smirking, and punched him in the stomach.

Alexander stepped forward, but a Molossian soldier grabbed him from behind with a knife to his throat.

Parmenion coughed a couple of times, then stood up straight again.

"I am Parmenion from the council of King Philip of Macedon and one of his generals. I was sent here to negotiate with King Epirus. If you kill me, you will be acting in a declaration of war against the kingdom. I do not believe you have the authority to declare war, lord…?"

The man showed his teeth and tightened his jaw in disapprovement.

"Tie him up". He ordered, bitterly, without taking his eyes away from Parmenion.

He circled around him like a lion a couple of times. Once Parmenion's hands were bound, he turned violently and punched Parmenion again, this time in the face.

"You are just a messenger. Do not think of yourself so highly." He said to his ear. "Now, let's see…does a messenger need his eyes to pass the message?" He asked the man that had tied Parmenion, sarcastically.

"Perhaps one", said the man, grinning.

The short man fixed his eye patch and took out his knife.

"Stop it!" Yelled Alexander, beating the soldier who was holding him. "Enough! Take us to Olympias, now!"

The man lowered his knife and chuckled.

"And who are you, boy?"

"You idiot!" Yelled Parmenion, "Stay out of this!"

Another man, who had been silently watching all the time, now spoke to the short man's ear.

"Captain," he said, loud enough for Waver and the rest to hear, "I could be wrong, but he resembles the queen a little. Although, his hair is auburn. But I believe he could be prince Alexandros…"

Hephaestion suddenly stepped forward.

"Forgive him, captain", He said while he easily got away from the soldier who had restrained him. "My servant talks too much. I am Alexander".

Alexander gasped. His knees became week.

The captain turned to the other man, looking for an answer.

"He does fit the descriptions I've heard of…" He said, slightly hesitant, "And he has Olympias golden hair…"

The short man studied Hephaestion from his feet to his head, then signaled with his head for another soldier to seize Hephaestion.

"Imagine how famous you will be if you killed the prince of Macedon with your own hands", suggested the man.

Hephaestion saw the horror in Alexander's eyes and gave him a reassuring look, slightly nodding.

"You do not need to worry about me, I am coming with you at my own will". Said Hephaestion, resisting the man that tried to tie him.

"Tie him up!" He ordered, and the soldier kicked the back of Hephaestion's knees forcing him to the floor. After he tied his hands, he pulled him up from his hair, violently.

"That's enough! He had already surrendered!" Yelled Waver, stepping forward, his eyes almost tearing with indignation.

"Just keep in mind… that if you kill me, my mother will take your eyes out and feed them to the snakes. Or rather, _the_ eye".

"Take him away!" He yelled, and the soldier pulled his hair again, then pushed him, forcing him to move.

Alexander was shaking with wrath.

He beat the man who had seized him before and rushed toward Hephaestion.

"No…" Hephaestion whispered, shaking his head softly.

But Alexander did not stop.

Another five men jumped in to restrain him.

Hephaestion now turned to Waver and begged him with his eyes, eyebrows knitted.

"Waver…" He muttered, then was pushed again by the soldier.

Waver hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

He ran towards Alexander and held him down with all his strength. They were both beaten and tied by the soldiers.

By the time they got up, Hephaestion was already gone.

The Macedonians were taken to a refugee camp for prisoners outside the fortress. They walked for hours on the rough, dry terrain, without any notice of what would happen to them.

Once at the refugee camp they were put all together in a large tent – if that tarp could be called a tent- that sheltered other prisoners. The air was damp and reeked of sweat and blood. Other refugees stared at them as they joined them on the ground. The soldiers unbounded the Macedonians and went outside to start their watch. The camp was surrounded by Molossian soldiers.

Servant girls came every now and then with jars of water and baskets of old bread. By their torn clothes and bruised faces, Waver guessed they were also prisoners.

"Savages…", commented an old Macedonian soldier as he watched the guards beat one of the prisoners.

"I wouldn't judge them so eagerly…" Waver advised, gloomy. More to himself. "We are just on the loosing side now…"

"Are you trying to say we are no better than them?" The old man turned to him.

Waver knew better than to speak his mind at that moment.

By his side, Alexander sat in silence.

A servant girl knelt in front of him to offer some water. Alexander slapped the jar away from her hands, crashing it into pieces on the ground.

The girl instantly bent over with her forehead touching the ground, shaking.

"Enough, don't take it out on her". Said Cleo, helping the girl up. "Can't you see she is in the same position as you? Probably worse?"

Alexander said nothing. Just fixed his eyes on the ground, lost in his thoughts. Feeling even more upset at himself.

"Have you seen Parmenion?" Asked Ptolemy

Cleo and Waver shook their heads in denial, and Alexander smashed his knuckles against the floor as he heard that name.

A guard came in after a few minutes and asked them to stand up.

"Follow me", he ordered, and escorted them across the campground.

"Excuse me, where are you taking us?" Asked Waver with caution.

"To your tent"

They exchanged puzzled looks and followed the man into a smaller tent within the campground. The rest of the Macedonian soldiers were divided into smaller groups in different tents around them as well.

The man left without saying more, and soon the lights were out in the camp. Only a few torches still burned for the guards outside the camp.

"I can't see anything". Said Cleo, extending her hands in front of her as she crawled forward.

Ptolemy followed her voice until he found her hand and sat by her side.

"We should get some sleep". Waver suggested as he lied down to rest his sore body.

At the other side of the camp, Hephaestion lied unconscious in a tent. His hands shackled to a stake, resting his face against it. A numbing pain slowly beginning to crawl up to his face. He moved his hands to get rid of the numbness of his fingers, and wondered how much time had passed since they arrived at the camp.

His eyelids were too heavy and bruised to open them, but he could hear the distant murmur of two men outside the tent.

"I think he is telling the truth…", whispered one of them.

"…he has his mother's sharp tongue", commented the other one.

"If he is the prince, we will be in trouble… imagine if the queen finds out it was us", he warned.

"King Epirus is coming back tomorrow. Until then we cannot kill him."

_Good._ Thought Hephaestion. _I only have to put up with this for one more day._

"…I think we showed him a lesson, I don't believe he'll be going anywhere like that". Continued the other man.

Hephaestion heard them walk away and sighed in relief.

At least Alexander and the rest were safe, he thought.

Other footsteps grew louder in the direction of the tent. Hephaestion shuddered a little. Someone entered the tent. He pretended to be asleep and listened to the person moving some things around. The sound of something moving in water.

"My lord", A girl's voice, unfamiliar to him. Then the touch of a hand on his wounded back.

Hephaestion slightly opened one eye. He could not se her face but could tell by the iron collar on her neck that she was a slave. He heard her soak a cloth in the water and felt the refreshing feeling of it on his back. He could not help a quiet groan.

"You are awake…" Said the girl, softly lifting Hephaestion's chin. "Here, have some water".

Hephaestion drank from a ceramic pot with her help. In his mouth, the taste of blood mixed with an unknown sweetness. He instantly felt relief in his body, so much that his head started to feel lighter and lighter. His senses became hazy.

He opened both eyes slightly.

_Alexander…?_ He thought. His mind must have been playing games.

He looked again. It was indeed a woman, around his age. He resembled Alexander, except she had long, black hair. So dark that it gleamed purple under the faint light of the fire.

"Who are you?" He whispered.

The girl came closer. Hephaestion could see her eyes were different, one golden-brown and the other gray.

A stinging pain pierced his brain again, forcing him to close his eyes.

"Hephaestion" She called her.

The feeling of rage burned inside his chest.

"What do you want!" He yelled, shaking.

He opened his eyes, but the girl was not there anymore. Instead, he saw his own reflection in the water.

Hephaestion started to think she had been just a product of his mind. Maybe he was still dreaming.

"What is it _you_ want, Hephaestion" The girl's voice echoed in his head, but it was his lips moving in the water as she spoke. His reflection suddenly shifted into the girl's face. He blinked a couple of times to focus his eyes.

He looked again, and he could now see Alexander.

"Are you sure that _he_ is what you really want?"

The pain came back, this time so strong, he dropped to the grown.

"I wonder what he is doing right now in that tent… while you are here… suffering, lonely"

His head was now spinning, as if he had suddenly been lifted in the air, the feeling of void in his stomach.

"But yu still want him, don't you? Yet there is something keeping your from him. Something bothering you" She continued.

"I wonder… Is it that mage boy?"

"Go away!" He shrieked.

"…If you killed him, you would get him out of the way…"

"Never!" He cried "Alexander is everything to me, I would never hurt him like that…"

"And what are you to him?"

"I'm…"

"He has taken everything from you. His father's war took your father from you. Your pride, your glory in battle. He has even taken your heart…"

Hephaestion's mind became blank. His thoughts and feelings all lost in oblivion. Only the burning feeling in his chest. And madness. A maddening fever taking over him, like poison.

"Leave us"

Another voice in the distance brought Hephaestion back. A familiar coldness in that voice.

The slave girl got up, hastily. Nodded and left in silence.

The other woman walked up to Hephaestion, who instantly collapsed in her arms.

"You foolish boy…", She frowned at him, disappointed to find someone different than the prince she expected to see. "You and I are both fools…doomed by our love... Is this the prince we must pay for his love?"

She held him closer to her chest, and his hair merged with her golden locks. She caressed his forehead with the love and care of a mother to her own child.

"...But he is not the boy we once loved, Hephaestion…" She whispered to his ear, even knowing he was long gone. "Are we to remain forever haunted by a memory that no longer is?"

She unbounded his hands, and carefully put him down on the carpet, covering him with robes.

She turned and saw the slave girl peeking through the tent. The woman sighed and exited the tent.

"Let's go" She said, and the girl followed her back into the fortress.

Waver had been lying down for a few minutes but could not sleep a wink. He could hear the grieves of the soldiers walking around the tents clanging against the ground.

He thought his eyes would have gotten used to the dark by then, but the tent was still pitch black. He turned his head to the side, nonetheless, wondering if Alexander had slept at all.

The quietest sound of movement came from his direction.

Waver waited, and heard the tent opening slightly. Then slowly crawled his way out.

Still in the dark, he got on his feet, bumping into someone.

He gasped, terrified by the idea of it being a guard.

That person covered his mouth with his hand and dragged him with him from behind.

"Go back inside, Waver." Alexander whispered frantically.

They heard the distant sound of a soldier wandering around, and Alexander squatted against the tent, dragging Waver with him to the ground.

"Alexander-"

The prince covered Waver's mouth again, shushing him. They remained like that until the sound completely faded.

"…you are going after him", whispered Waver.

"Go back in the tent, Waver". He said as he got up, turning his back. "You can't stop me"

"I'm not here to stop you…", Waver whispered, calmly.

He then got up and held onto to Alexander's hand. "I am coming with you".

Alexander opened his eyes wide, although he could not see a thing. He sighed, and his shoulders suddenly became lighter. He held Waver's hand tight and stepped forward.

"You are not going anywhere…"

Alexander now bumped into someone else in the dark.

"Cleo?" He whispered

"Brother, if you go now, everything Hephaestion has suffered will be in vain"

"So what should I do? Sit here and wait?"

"No. You should go and talk to mother. It's our only chance"

"You are right"

It was Ptolemy's voice now. "…About sitting here and waiting"

"I'm going…" Alexander reiterated.

"…And you are right about the queen. She is our only chance. She agreed to negotiate with you. You should speak to her." Suggested Ptolemy.

"Exactly," Confirmed Cleo.

"I was talking about you, Cleo". He corrected her.

"…"

"What?"

"You can easily disguise yourself as a servant girl. Nobody will recognize you"

"Are you insane? It's too dangerous". Observed Waver

"M-me?" Doubted her.

"Your mother will listen only to you two. And Alexander cannot go, he'll be detained right away"

"You want her to sneak into that fortress all by herself? Have you lost your mind, Ptolemy?", Said Alexander.

"Not by herself. I'm going with her"

There was a moment of silence in which they all listened to the soldiers' steps come and go.

"You can do this. It has to be you…" Ptolemy assured.

"…He…he is right". She finally agreed.

"You can't be serious…". Said Alexander.

"No, actually that might work…" Agreed Waver, thoughtful.

"But-"

Another soldier walked towards their direction, this time the steps were not going away so fast.

"There's no time". Said Ptolemy.

"Waver…keep him safe". She said, grabbing Waver's hand in between hers, slowly letting go to disappear into the darkness of the night.

"Who is there?!" A soldier yelled across the tent, running towards Ptolemy and Cleo's direction.

"H-hi" Said Waver standing in his way. "I-I just needed to pee"

"I heard voices…"

"And me too!" Said Alexander

"Together?" Said the soldier "What are you, four years old?"

They chuckled nervously.

"Sorry, we will go back to our tent in silence now", said Waver

"…Macedonians…" The man scoffed, shaking his head, and escorted them to their tent.

He stood there for a long time, making sure they would not sneak out again.

Alexander and Waver sat inside the tent resting their backs against each other.

"He is not going away", complained Alexander.

"We'll have to wait until tomorrow", sighed Waver, and they both lied down to sleep.


	18. The Mother of Rulers -Part II-

**18\. Mother of Rulers – Part II -**

"My lady…"

A distant voice disrupted queen Olympias' sleep. She opened her eyes and looked around, disoriented, a cold drop running down her cheek. She looked up, wondering if it was raining, only to find a strange roof above her. For a moment she forgot she was not at the palace in Pella.

"My lady…" Called a servant girl. She was standing by the door, holding a tray with food. "King Epirus will be coming back soon…"

"Another one", thought Olympias out loud, as if the girl could not hear her, getting out of bed without looking at her. "A different one everyday…".

The girl placed the tray on the table beside the bed in silence. Olympias undressed, letting her long, blonde curls fall over her thin yet athletic body. A snake slithered from the bedsheets and climbed up her arm. She walked to the window and stood there in silence.

After a while she extended her arms, the snake slowly moved down to tangle around her leg.

"Well, are you going to help me or not?" She said, her eyes still fixed to the window.

"Y-yes" The girl rushed towards her, wrapping her in robes with clumsiness, careful not to touch the snake.

"You know what is funny?", Scoffed Olympias, "I left this fortress as a prisoner years ago…and now that I'm back, I feel like a prisoner in my own home…"

"That's because your real home is where your loved ones are…"

The queen turned around, and her heart stopped beating for a moment.

"I've come to take you home, mother…"

She stared at the girl, speechless. It took her a moment to recognize her own daughter in those filthy rags and messy hair.

"Stupid girl!" She cried. "What have you done?!"

"Mother-"

"Shhh" She shushed her, walking to the door. She peeked out the door, then rushed back inside. Paranoid, she walked around the room in circles. Her palms pressed together against her lips. Cleo could see them shaking as she walked towards her.

"Why did you come?" Whispered Olympias, pushing Cleo away from the door.

"I needed to know…" Cleo said with determination "I deserve to know"

Olympias suddenly hugged her tightly, leaving Cleo puzzled.

"If they catch you, they'll kill you…"

"They won't catch me"

Olympias held her hands.

"Is your brother with you?"

"He is safe"

Olympias sighed in relief.

"Mother… did you do it?" She asked, cautiously. "Did you kill that guard?"

"I did". She said with a straight face, not a hint of remorse in her face.

Cleo gulped.

"…Your father ordered them to kill me if I tried to escape"

The girl shook her head in disapproval.

"Is that why you betrayed him?" Her eyebrows curled in a painful expression.

Olympias scoffed, looking away.

Cleo pulled her by the arm.

"I don't care if you are a spy!" She said, fighting the tears in her eyes. "Even if you are a traitor-"

"A spy?" Olympias' expression changed from worry to confusion. "Who told you this?"

"It was you who leaked the information from the council to the other lords, wasn't it?"

"I had nothing to do with that…"

"Don't lie to me…you are leading this rebellion against the king…against my father…"

"Is that what they've told you?" She laughed, sarcastically, "_I _am leading an army? You mean with all these weapons I have?"

A hairpin, a necklace, and a belt. She showed her all the little possessions she had in her room.

"Cleopatra, I came here because I was no longer safe in Pella". She explained, now more calmed. "I came to my brother and convinced him to take Macedonia, to make Epirus the capital of a new Empire we would build together. I would have taken the throne and rule while my brother would be out there fighting meaningless wars…".

"Is that why you are doing it?" Cleo asked, skeptical.

There was no answer.

"I don't believe you…you have never seemed to me like someone who is hungry for power…"

"…I've never seemed someone who looks like anything to anybody…"

"Don't say that…"

"It doesn't matter now… It's too late. Epirus is too proud to withdrawal, and I can't go back, your father will kill me the moment I step in the palace…"

"It's not too late. He will forgive you…" Cleo said, desperately clinging to her mother's clothes.

Olympias ignored her.

"I may not have leaked the information, but I did use that information to turn the lords against the him, and organized to plot and take the kingdom… I'm a traitor after all. Alexandros will never forgive me…"

"None of that matters…" She said, nearly in tears, "You are his mother. Come with me…let's go home. You, me, Alexandros…"

"Alexandros…" She said, and her eyes suddenly opened like she had foreseen something. "He is not safe…"

She walked around the room again, one hand resting on her hip, the other one covering her mouth, thoughtful.

"It's that man… Attalus… he is the one poisoning your father's head with his ideas… He wants the throne for himself…"

Cleo shook her head, confused.

"Mother, please, this war has to end. The Persians are waiting for us to destroy each other so they can take the advantage. Can't you see? This is what they want."

"It is not in my power to end this war anymore!" Olympias yelled. "Epirus is beyond my control. I'm afraid I convinced him a little too much that he could take the throne. Now he won't stop..."

"Send a letter…" Said Cleo with determination, "You are a queen. Send a letter to the soldiers and command them to let the Macedonian soldiers go… don't let these people die in vain. Stop this war before it's too late."

Olympias looked at her, and for once saw the same fire she had seen in Alexander's eyes before.

"Listen to me," Olympias grabbed her by the shoulders, "There is a small house beside the river, west from here. Hide in there, nobody will find you…"

"What about you?"

"Go!" She yelled, making Cleo jump and leave the room in haste.

Once she was gone, Olympias took a deep breath, then sat on the floor.

"Girl" She called, and a slave girl came from the shadows.

"My lady?" The girl knelt by her side, the sun rays through the window reflecting violet on her long dark hair.

"Deliver this letter to the captain. He is a short man with a big beard and an even bigger mouth…he has an eye-patch, you will recognize him", She said as she pulled out a roll of papyrus to write a note in a rush, "If they object, tell them that it is I who rules while my brother isn't home, and I will cut their tongues out if anyone disobeys"

She quickly rolled it and handed it to her. The girl looked up, her heterochrome eyes fixed on Olympias with an empty expression.

"So, you are surrendering? You are setting them free? What will happen to you now?"

Olympias frowned.

"I don't recall calling you for advice, but to follow orders…" she said, severe, "Now go…"

The girl nodded

"Forgive me, my lady. I will go now" She said, and slowly got up, moving towards the door without turning her back to her.

"You will do no such thing…"

The girl stopped when her back hit the man who was waiting by the door.

She turned, and immediately lowered her head.

"Your highness…", she said, respectfully.

"Epirus…" Olympias gasped.

The man was leaning against the ledge of the door, arms crossed. Olympias wondered how long he had been standing there. She panicked.

Epirus grinned at the girl, perfect white teeth contrasting with his slightly tanned, handsome face. Both siblings had been blessed by Aphrodite with their beauty, they said. However, unlike Olympias, Epirus face was young and full of life, never showed anger or worry.

The slave girl glanced at him quickly. His serene expression did not match his look, covered in blood from a recent battle. A disturbing calmness in his face. She admired his body, like sculpted by the gods, gracefully bending over to reach for the letter.

He crumpled the roll in his bloody hands.

"Did you miss me, sis?"

It was already sundown and Alexander and Waver still had no news from Cleo or Ptolemy. Hephaestion was no where to be found. Not a single letter from the king, or the queen. Alexander was beginning to feel anxious.

"How much longer?" He said as he peeked outside his tent. The sun tinted the sky magenta over the mountains.

"Get back in here!" Waver pulled him from his braid back inside.

"But I can't stand it anymore!" He complained.

"Well, it's not like you can rush the sun to set…"

Alexander scratched his head anxiously.

"Let's go over the plan again…", Said Waver, just to distract him.

"We've talked about it a hundred times already…If by sundown Ptolemy is not back with any news, you will go look for them. I will distract the guard saying I need to pee."

"And you will sneak to the captain's tent and…?"

"And nothing…" The tent suddenly opened with Parmenion behind. "You are not going anywhere"

Alexander picked up his dagger and pointed it at him.

"Get out, you traitor. I don't trust you…"

"You don't have to trust me… trust him…"

He opened the tent entrance wider, and Hephaestion slowly came in, followed by Parmenion, who closed the tent behind him.

Alexander gasped, instantly dropping his dagger and running towards Hephaestion.

Hephaestion smiled at him. Alexander hugged him violently, laughing with excitement. His arms tight around Hephaestion's neck.

"You are… choking me… Alexandros-"

Alexander cupped his face into his hands and pressed his forehead against his, grinning.

"You are alive…" He said, letting out another laugh, a teardrop slipped his eye. "You are alright…"

Hephaestion chuckled. "I'm glad you are OK too", he said, tucking Alexander's messy hair behind his ears.

"Ahem…" Waver interrupted, awkwardly. "You will be needing my medical assistance, I suppose…"

Hephaestion smiled at him, messing with Waver's hair.

"Thanks Waver, but I'm surprisingly fine", He explained, calmly.

Waver took a closer look at his face.

"Huh?!" His eyebrows raised. "Not a single scratch? How come?"

"Hmm" Hephaestion crossed his arms and lower his head, trying to think. "I was surprised too. I am sure the captain sent some people to beat information out of me…"

Alexander clenched his fists.

"But I'm completely fine!" He continued. "I think they must have given me some sort of potion"

He looked up, suddenly a confusing image came to his memory.

"I remember… there was this strange slave girl. Her eyes where of different colors. She reminded me of Alexandros, somehow…" He turned to Alexander. "And then… I had this strange dream. I don't remember much. Just a hissing, and this feeling of strangling. Like a snake, but instead of poisoning me, it was draining out the venom from my blood"

Everyone went silent for a moment.

"What do you think it means?" asked Alexander, curious.

"I'm not sure. We'll have to ask the sages at the temple when we go back"

Alexander sighed, relieved. He hugged him one more time. Then he pulled away, suddenly pointing a finger at him, scowling.

"Don't you ever do something so stupid like that again, or I'll kill you myself…"

Hephaestion shrugged.

"Sorry, I can't promise you that… being stupid is a rare talent…"

Alexander put his fist up with a threatening face, Hephaestion crouched to avoid a hit.

"Ok, Ok…" Hephaestion put both hands up in surrender.

Alexander's face slowly softened, and Hephaestion held his hand, lowering it.

"So…" Waver turned to Parmenion, suddenly uncomfortable. He could feel his stomach turning again, and this time it was not the sea-sickness…

Parmenion coughed, then looked at Waver.

"King Epirus is back. I have requested an audience in the name of king Phillip and he agreed to meet with me tomorrow"

"With you?" Asked Alexander, skeptical. "Why not with me?"

"It's too dangerous"

Alexander slowly walked towards Parmenion and pointed his dagger at him again.

"Then why did they let go of Hephaestion? Do they still think he is the prince?"

"You can thank your mother for that…" He said, not moving from his place.

The sun was almost completely hiding behind the mountains outside now. Only the faint shine of the dusk now kept the tent illuminated.

"You still think I'm a traitor…" Parmenion observed. It was a statement, not a question.

"My mother didn't escape by herself…" Alexander slightly pressed his dagger against Parmenion's chest, just enough so it would not yet bleed. "Why did you help her?"

"Because it was the right thing to do"

"Then why did you ask me to come here with you?" A tiny red drop dripped from Alexander's dagger.

"Because, Alexandros, believe it or not, your mother cares for you…". The man gently placed his hand on the blade, and slowly lowered it. The end of the sword now dripping with Parmenion's blood from his hand.

"…The only way to stop this war was if she saw you were in danger…, she will give up anything to keep you and your sister safe…"

"So, you used me?" Alexander scoffed, walking closer to him in a threatening way. Parmenion was at least two heads taller than him, yet that did not stop him.

"Whose side are you on, Parmenion? My father? My mother? Me?"

"The kingdom's side, Alexandros…"

Alexander stared at him for a long moment, until they were all completely covered by darkness.

Parmenion heard the sound of Alexander's dagger against the ground, followed by another long silence.

Waver's voice broke that silence with a spell. The tent was then lit by a small candle.

"She wasn't always like this…" Alexander suddenly said, sitting with his legs crossed, "My mother… She has never been a charismatic woman, but she used to laugh and play with me. She was never happy but could at least find some peace at the palace. But my father became so obsessed with the kingdom and with building political alliances..."

Waver moved closer to sit in front of him, listening attentively. He saw Parmenion sitting in a corner, and Hephaestion making himself comfortable on the ground, using Alexander's thigh as a pillow.

"What happened?" Asked Waver

Alexander sighed.

"It all got worse about a year ago…" He said, thoughtful, digging into his own memories.

"We were celebrating my father's last wedding… to Eurydice, you know Attalus' daughter"

"What!?" Waver yelled in surprise. He recalled the image of a beautiful and elegant young lady that could not resemble anything at all the cranky old man that enjoyed bossing him around.

"Yes. General Attalus…. Anyway. We were drinking, everyone. We were all very drunk. All of us except my mother. And Attalus was acting…strange. He was saying things… very inappropriate things…"

"Sounds like his regular self to me…" said Waver, looking away.

"No, this time was different. He was very drunk… It is not an excuse, but he didn't seem like himself… se sounded like…someone else…"

"Someone else?" Hephaestion frowned…those words echoed in his mind.

"The thing is, he started talking nonsense and bragging about their past campaigns with my father… and laughing and drinking. Then Attalus made a comment on how they were going to be related by blood now that his daughter would be pregnant with his child, and how a child with both the king's blood and the general's blood would make the best heir to the kingdom."

Hephaestion looked up at Alexander's upset face, then gently placed his hand on one of his feet to caress it softly.

"My father was an idiot; he didn't say anything. Then my mother got upset. She accused my father of not defending my honor as the first prince and heir to the throne. He was drunk and stupid and yelled back at her, then I yelled at him for disrespecting her…and myself."

Waver shook his head. These were all historical figures he was talking about. Famous ones. It was hard to think of them as people with issues like any other family. Except, there was an entire kingdom involved.

"So I ended up insulting him, and threatening him to give up my right to the throne…"

Waver opened his eyes wide, shocked at how lightly those big words flowed from Alexander's mouth.

"…Then he exiled me for a while… or more like I exiled myself… with my mom and Cleo… and Hephaestion and Ptolemy and others too…"

Hephaestion gave Waver a wide, carefree smile, like it was just some sort of funny anecdote.

"…but then Macedonia was attacked by the Persians, so I had to come back and- oh! … this was just before we met, remember, Waver?"

Waver felt like his brain had overheated with so much information, unable to process it.

"Waver?" Asked Alexander "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes. Continue…"

"Well, that's about it…" He said, and his eyes became suddenly gray.

"And now she is here… leading a rebellion against my father… all because of me…" He said, playing with Hephaestion's hair, anxiously.

"I am sure she had her reasons to do it…", said Waver, now sitting beside him.

"I am not a reason to kill a royal guard…or betray the kingdom"

"A parent would do anything to protect their children…" Suddenly said Parmenion from the corner

"Certainly not my father…"

"He is not a father; he is a king. The kingdom is his children."

"He is a lousy father _and_ king, then" Alexander said, bitterly. Then he gently held Hephaestion's head, careful not to wake him up, and lied down by his side facing up, ready to sleep. Hephaestion turned to him, sound asleep, his arm around Alexander's waist.

Waver's guts burned again. The feeling was so unbearable he had to put an end to it at all cost.

He took a deep breath and put the candle out. The tent went pitch black again in a second. Then he lied beside Alexander on the ground.

"Waver?" Said Alexander, feeling Waver's forehead against his bare shoulder.

"Shut up…" He was for once grateful for the darkness to hide his face. "Don't say anything…"

Waver could not see Alexander's silent smile in the dark.

"Idiot…" Waver whispered, then closed his eyes.

Parmenion rolled his eyes in the dark and crawled out of the tent.

Even though it was completely dark, Waver refused to open his eyes. He stopped feeling Alexander's shoulder against his forehead for a moment, leaving a cold, empty space between them. He pictured Alexander's back in his mind, and extended his hand carefully to reach or it. But instead, his fingers met with the softness and warmth of Alexander's lips. Waver moved away at first, hesitant. Then softly traced Alexander's lips with his fingers. He wondered if he was already asleep. If Hephaestion was still asleep by his side. Then suddenly felt the warmth of Alexander's mouth against his palm.

He gasped, and Alexander kissed his palm again. Waver pulled his hand away, but Alexander caught his wrist. Waver heard him move, and could now feel Alexander's agitated breath on his mouth. Without thinking, he found his lips moving slowly against Alexander's mouth. Next think he felt was Alexander's unsteady breath on his neck. A chill ran down his spine.

"W-wait", Waver whispered, "Y-you can't, we'll wake him up…"

Waver felt Hephaestion's hand still dangling with dead weight around Alexander's waist.

"Then don't make any sound…" Alexander whispered to his ear, softly touching it with his lips.

Waver covered his mouth and a soft moan escaped his throat.

_What am I doing…_ he thought. His eyes now opened, trying to picture Alexander's mouth, soft and moist against his neck. The image made his mouth watery. It was wrong. It was so wrong. He could not let Alexander feel anything for him, he could not be a part of his life. Not without altering his history. Yet he could not bring himself to stop him.

_Just one night_… he told himself. _Just for tonight, let me stay by his side like this…_

Alexander's mouth now reached his chest and Waver buried his fingers into Alexander's hair, slightly pulling from it.

_Maybe is just lust…_ he convinced himself. It's OK. _When I am gone, he will have others. He won't even remember my name…_

Alexander could hear Waver's agitated breath through his nose. He gently took Waver's hand away from his mouth and slowly kissed the back of it.

_He won't remember my name…_ He kept repeating in his mind.

Alexander brought Waver's hand to his chest, holding it tight. He could feel Alexander's heart beating, loud and fast. It seemed small, like the heart of a child, or humming bird. Soft. Fragile.

Waver's stomach tightened again. Not in sickness, not in jealousy, but with pure joy. Joy and guilt. A warmth that ached inside him.

_Just tonight…_ he thought, clutching Alexander's hand, closing his eyes to sleep. _Just tonight…_

On the other side of the river, Cleopatra watched the sunset by the window in a small cabin. She waited there until dark. Only the stars lit the river with their reflection.

"Are you not going to sleep?" A slave girl assigned as her roommate asked her. She was older than her, in her early 30s.

Cleo shook her head.

"Here! This will cheer you up!" She handed her a piece of cheese, "It's high quality. I sneaked it myself from the kitchen in the palace. Don't tell the others"

"You and the rest have been very kind to me. Offering me food and roof… I have given you nothing in return", Cleo said with an apologetic smile. She thought about the comfort of the palace in Pella with guilt. She stared at the cheese, then gave it back to her.

"Thank you. But I am leaving soon"

"Leaving? Where?" The woman asked, taking a bite from the cheese.

"Home"

The girl looked at her, puzzled.

"Where I was born…You must have a home you miss too. Where are you from?"

"Home?" She scoffed. "This is the only home I've ever known"

The girl blew the candle out, and stood at the window by her side to watch the stars.

"Olympias, the king's older sister…" She said, "When I was a child, she gave her servants this house to keep us away from the soldiers. She claimed every one of us as her personal maids, every time the soldiers came back from a raid. We only go serve her when we are called. She gave us this land to cultivate, and weapons to defend ourselves from the soldiers. We made this our home."

"What will happen if the queen leaves again?"

The girl chuckled, painfully.

"They can come for us" She said. "Let them come. What can they possibly do to us that they already haven't done? "

"I'm sorry…" Cleo's hands were shaking impotently.

"They can try, but we'll rather fight them to death before they caught us alive!" She said, energetic.

Cleo admired her strength and positivity, feeling suddenly small.

"One day a queen will rule this land" She told the woman, "A kind and powerful queen that will make sure nobody will hurt us again"

"You are very creative" She joked, "Are you sure you are not a writer? you know, like one of those who write the plays?"

They laughed, and a sudden bang on the window made them jump.

Ptolemy came in through the window, dressed as a Molossian soldier.

The girl gasped, ready to scream, but Cleo covered her mouth.

"Sh! It's OK! He is a friend", She held the woman in her arms until she calmed down.

"Men are not allowed in here!" She yelled.

"Please. Keep your voice down. He is my friend. He is with the Macedonian army, he is just disguised as a Molossian soldier"

The girl studied Ptolemy with disgust, wrinkling her nose.

"Macedonian, Molossian. What difference does it make to us?" She said, walking away.

"I'm sorry…" Ptolemy said. "I am not your enemy"

The girl scoffed, covering herself under the blankets in bed.

Ptolemy sighed, and sat on the floor with Cleo.

"What is going on?" She asked.

"I just came back from the camp. Hephaestion has been freed. I delivered a royal decree to free the Macedonians. But it is only a matter of time before they realize it was not signed by the king."

"My Mother…", Cleo smiled, relieved.

"They still think he is Alexander. And is better to keep it that way for now. Same for you, you should remain here for now. I met with Parmenion just now to tell him the King has accepted negotiation."

"Negotiation?" She asked, suspicious. "Why now? What can Epirus possibly want from us?"

"I don't know…" He said, getting up." But for now, you should stay here, you'll be safe"

He turned to the window to go back outside, but Cleo grabbed his hand.

"Where are you going?"

"To check on Hephaestion and the rest. Making sure they are not doing anything stupid again"

"Stay…" She said, clinging to his arm. "You have already done enough…Don't risk your life like that..."

Ptolemy hesitated, looking towards the bed, were the other girl pretended to sleep.

He finally sat again

"Sleep" He said, resting his back against the wall. "You will need it".

Cleo rested her head on his shoulder, holding his arm.

"There is a bed right the-"

"Shh", she shushed him, and fell instantly asleep.

Ptolemy closed his eyes, smiling, softly resting his cheek on her forehead.

The gates of the fortress opened at dawn. Parmenion's tired feet remembered the dry, rocky land as he walked towards the palace. When he arrived at the courtroom, Epirus was sitting at a table, resting his head on his hand with elegance. A woman in expensive silk robes was feeding him figs. By his side, Olympias sat in front of a full plate, playing with a piece of bread, nervously.

"Your highness. Parmenion of Pella" A familiar voice announced. The captain of the Molossian fleet glared at him with his one good eye from the door.

Olympias glanced at him, briefly, then looked away. So did Parmenion.

Epirus continued eating figs, delicately. As if he did not hear him come in.

"King Epirus" Said Parmenion, impatient.

The king turned to him with a gentle smile.

"Figs?" He offered

"I have come here to negotiate… I'd rather have breakfast at home… with my wife…"

The king burst in laughter. He covered his mouth with a napkin, respectfully. Then wiped his mouth.

"Well then. Straight to the point." He said, resting his elbows on the table, chin on hands.

"The king offers immediate pardon to all rebels when you surrender"

"Oh?" Epirus smirked, amused. "How generous from Philip. I don't believe this generosity comes for free?"

"He demands troops to invade Persia, and a higher tax to fund the army during the campaign."

Epirus chuckled, genuinely amused.

"And… why would I agree to that?" He raised an eyebrow, confused. "An entire army from different city-states want to see your king's head on a spear. What do I have to lose?"

"Because if you agree, you will not only rule in Greek lands, but in a larger, more powerful empire in the East"

Epirus eyebrows raised with interest. He listened carefully.

Olympias gave his brother a deadly glare.

"The king is planning to invade Persia and expand the empire. He will need people to administrate the new territories. You will be given land and a higher rank"

Epirus chuckled, resting his back on the seat.

"You expect me to give up everything for a promise? A bet?" He asked sarcastically, bringing another fig to his mouth. "You are a smart man, Parmenion. You do not really expect me to accept these terms… You see, I have the prince. Little Alexandros…Perhaps his father should consider that before he negotiates. Or is it perhaps that he truly does not care about him?"

He looked at Olympias and rejoiced with her troubled face.

"Don't make a fool of yourself, Epirus. You, capturing my Alexandros? You have nothing… just a decoy"

Epirus' face remained calm, yet the fig got crushed in his hand.

"And when did you intend to tell me this?" He turned to her with a sinister smile. She held her chin up violently, the juices from the fruit dripping from her face. "What else have you been keeping from me?"

"Epirus…" Called Parmenion, "Enough"

The king let go off her and relaxed on the throne again.

"You will right to your king" He said, wiping his wand on his servant's expensive silk. "Tell him I accept his offer…"

"You cannot!" Olympias stood up.

Epirus signaled her to stop with his hand, his eyes still fixed on Parmenion

"…with one condition" He continued

Parmenion gulped.

"A place in his council"

"What?"

Asked Olympias, confused

"Your highness" Parmenion addressed him politely, "A place in the council is reserved for Macedonian nobles, you must understand… there's restrictions-"

"Then ask him to find me a suitable Macedonian whore"

"You can take a Persian queen and rule the new territories…"

"Promises…" He shook his head "More promises. I need an insurance. Find me a Macedonian wife"

Parmenion hesitated

"Write to your king" He ordered the captain to give him something to write on "Now, if you ever wish to see your wife again"

Parmenion took it and slowly begun to write.

"Have you no honor?" Olympias complained ashamed of her bother's weakness and selfishness. He remained silent, watching Ptolemy write.

"You weak little coward…" she said, disgust written all over her face, "You are no king. Our men will never follow you…"

"_My _men, you mean"

She slapped him and left the room.

Parmenion was escorted to his room to wait for king Philip's answer.

The next morning Parmenion met Epirus at the same place.

"And?" Epirus asked, impatient.

Olympias gave him a glare, but Parmenion did not look at her in the eyes. He gave the letter to the king, and slowly walked away. Epirus read it out loud.

"The king offers princess Cleopatra, his first daughter, in marriage, welcomes King Epirus into the council" He smirked.

"No…" Olympias gasped, her chest became tight.

"Captain" He called, and the man with the eye patch walked to him. "Call for a small council. We have a war to end and another one to begin." He said, and he walked out.

Everybody else followed him. Everyone except Parmenion and Olympias.

Parmenion watched her crouch on the floor. A hand in her chest, a silent scream threatening to escape her throat.

Parmenion slowly walked to her, and placed his hand on her back.

Olympias pushed him away.

"You said you would protect them" She cried.

"I never imagined he would-"

"Lies!" She said, aiming to hit him, but her strength had left her tired body long ago. "You were my only friend…"

"I still am…" he said, holding her.

"Whose side are you on, Parmenion?"

"I told you. I'll always be on the kingdom's side"

She shook her head, defeated.

"…and the kingdom needs you. The kingdom needs Alexandros. And Alexandros needs _you_"

She turned to him and he could see the slightest spark of hope in her eyes.

"It is better if she knows it from you...", he smiled faintly.

"The king can tell her himself." She said, bitterly. "He did this. He will be the one to watch her face when her world falls apart. Not me…You have a daughter, Parmenion... Could you look into your daughter's eyes and tell her that everything is going to be fine when you know she is going to marry a man who will ruin her life?"

Parmenion was speechless. There was nothing he could say that could bring her peace.

"Let her enjoy her last days of freedom…"

On a small hill by the river, two people in a hood observed the Macedonian army boarding back on their ships.

"It seems like the young will live to see another day", Said one of them, watching the prince reunite with his family and friends. "They managed to stop the war"

"Not for long" Said the other one.

"Let them enjoy while they still can…"

"It is all the same. They may have avoided this war, but blood must be spilled…"

A small golden object glowed in front of them. It shined with a red gleam, thirsty to be filled, then vanished into the air again.

"Persians, Greeks, Babylonians, Sumerians… their blood is all worth the same in the eyes of the gods. They survived just to see an even bigger war to come".

"It is just a matter of time, then. We never had a chance…"

"Just a matter of time…" Zurvan echoed, pushing back the hood of the cloak, revealing its face. Then turned to the woman beside him.

"Get the mage boy…" It said in a calm, yet threatening tone. "The other two idiots will never get him… we cannot wait any longer…"

"I will…"

"And they already know that Olympias is not the spy…" Zurvan warned her.

"I know…"

She removed her hood, revealing her long, black hair, and put on a helmet that covered her face. Everything except her heterochrome eyes.

"If you try to protect her…or him…"

"I will not"

Zurvan grabbed her arm, not fully convinced.

She stared back at it with empty eyes.

"She raised me since birth to be her shadow. He does not even know I exist. No one has ever given me a name… Why should I care?"

She walked away without looking back, then joined the rest of the Macedonian army, boarding the ship that would take her back home.


End file.
